Apprenticeship
by Kalsypher
Summary: A group of select ninja have to go through the Kazekage and Council's carefully made tests to find the perfect apprentice for the Kazekage. Roxanne Sula isn't particularly interested in the position but with her brother as an applicant and his hatred for the Kage, she knows she must do what she can to at least prevent it...even if it means becoming the apprentice. Gaara x OC
1. Tasks

My older brother, Spyre walked into the house with a wide, proud grin. "They're giving out scrolls to the best ninja in Suna, Rox," he told me. "And I qualified."

I was standing on a small cyclone trying to master flying, something that had never been mastered before. I dropped to the floor, sweat dripping down my face as he tossed me the scroll he had gotten.

"An apprenticeship to become Kazekage?" I read. I tossed it back to him and formed the cyclone under my feet again, "I'm not interested in it anyway."

A knock at the door caught my attention and the cyclone slowly disappeared, as I crossed my legs under me and just hovered in the air. Who would come to this side of Suna to see us?

Spyre opened the door and I moved a bit to see who it was.

"I already got my scroll," Spyre said cockily.

"This one's for Rox," a familiar voice said. "Is she home?"

I knew Spyre was pissed when he looked back at me, his green eye lit with fury. I let my feet touch the ground briefly before I jumped from the top of the stairs and landed in front of the door.

Kankuro stood there with a smile and a scroll in his hand. "I know you don't want it, but we're giving scrolls to everyone that qualifies. At least try, Rox."

I gave him an annoyed look, "Guilt tripping me already. Fine, I'll try. But, that's just because he's doing it."

Kankuro ruffled my hair, "Good luck, kid."

I pouted as I tried to fix it back. No one could mess up my hair, usually, but Kankuro could. He laughed and walked on. I fell back and started floating up to where Spyre couldn't see my scroll.

'Congratulations in making the qualifications for the apprenticeship. The qualifications were as follows: having above average grades in the Academy, being a Chunin, having at least a 90% success rate on missions, having been on at least 200 missions after achieving the Chunin level, and being recommended by at least four Council members and your Jounin sensei.

'During this, you will be completely alone and you cannot ask for help from any of the other applicants.'

How in the world had I met all those qualifications? Especially with my personality… My Jounin hated me. And we had to do it alone. So…no asking Spyre for help, not that I ever would. He was about as useful as a broken pencil.

Under the introduction were some instructions.

'You have 24 hours from when you receive your scroll to get to the destination marked on your map.'

I looked at the map on the back. It wasn't Suna. Where was it? I sat up and stared at it for a while.

After a couple hours passed, I dropped to the floor and left the house, Spyre right behind me

"You solved the map?" He asked.

"I can't tell you," I told him as I headed to the Kazekage tower.

There were maps there. Since the lines held no particular pattern or secret code, it was some sort of vague map of something. Just finding out what was the problem.

"Then where are you going?" Spyre asked.

"I can't tell you," I told him.

Just before I got to the Kazekage tower, Spyre stopped following me and went to go ask someone else for help. I sighed as I walked in and wandered to the room that held all the maps. I wondered how many people had figured it out.

As I pulled out maps and compared the one I had, I found the Land of Fire map and found the match. The X on the map was right on Konoha. And I had less than 24 hours to get there.

It was normally at least a three day journey. As I stared at the map of the lands surrounding us, there was no short way to Konoha. I would have to take the normal straight path there. But, I could sand surf across the desert and cross in under five hours. My kite would be able to fly me across the Village Hidden in the Valley. That would take another few hours off, if I wasn't attacked. Then easy sailing to Konoha.

I ran home, packed my bag that would hold my skimboard, and grabbed my skimboard and kite. Spyre watched me as I almost started to leave the house, but Mom stopped me.

"Where are you going in such a rush?" She asked.

"I was recommended to be an apprentice of the Kazekage," I told her. "I've got somewhere to be in the next 24 hours."

She put her hands on her hips as she gave me a hard look, "Now, your brother is in the same thing. He hasn't figured it out yet. You should be helping him."

"I can't," I told her. "We were told not to help the other applicants. Ninja or not, I can't help him."

Mom's eyes sharpened, "You're not leaving until you help your brother."

I just smiled, "You gonna stop me?"

I opened the door and walked out. I had never been one to really disrespect my parents, but I was on a time limit. My mother didn't understand my way of thinking. Of course, I didn't understand hers. She believed in family loyalty, but she had cheated on Dad more than once. I believed in village loyalty. When the village called, I was going to answer. That's what made me a good ninja and a terrible person.

As I ran out of the gates of Suna, I threw my red skimboard down and jumped on it then tossed my red parasail into the air letting it catch a breeze and started speeding through the cavern that would take me to the desert. When I closer to the desert, I put the handle of the parasail in my mouth and made some quick hand signs that would give me control over the wind. My speed increased as I started surfing over the soft, hot sand.

And it was incredibly hot today, even sailing as fast as I was. There was no escape from the heat until I got to the edge of the Village Hidden in the Valley. By then, the sun was starting to set. I would have to fly through the night.

When I hooked my skimboard to my bag, I grabbed onto my parasail and let the wind pick me up to start my flight over the Village Hidden in the Valley. I got lucky that it was a full moon. It made flying around the sudden mountains a lot easier.

By dawn, I was well into the Land of Fire and nearing Konoha. I could see the village in the distance. When my feet touched the ground, my parasail retracted and I hooked it to the side of my bag then walked into the village.

I smiled at the guards at the gate. That had to be a boring job.

"Another applicant for the apprenticeship?" One of them asked me.

I nodded with a small smile, "Yeah."

"If you'll present your scroll and state your name," he said.

I shrugged off my bag and grabbed my scroll from inside, then gave it to him. "Roxanne Sula."

"Your brother arrived not too long ago," the ninja said. "He wanted to make sure you knew that he beat you here."

I blinked a couple of times. I was so tired I couldn't really comprehend what he said, but I didn't really know how Spyre could have beaten me.

The man handed me another scroll and a key, "Enjoy your stay."

"Stay?" I repeated. "How long am I going to be here?"

"I don't really know," he answered with a polite smile. "Your hotel is next to the Hokage's tower."

I smiled a bit, "Thank you."

With a polite bow, I made my way into the village. I just wanted to sleep somewhere. Cutting a three day journey into less than 24 hours was no easy task.

… … … …

The apprenticeship hadn't been Gaara's favorite idea, but he had agreed with it. He knew an heir was not in his future and Temari and Kankuro were not up for the job. As he watched from the Hokage's tower while the applicants arrived, he noticed someone of interest.

Rox was an applicant.

Every member of the Council had a favorite as did Temari and Kankuro. Gaara chose to remain neutral on the matter.

Temari walked up next to him, "So, see anyone interesting yet?"

"Rox is participating," Gaara said.

That shocked Temari. She growled a bit and turned around, "Kankuro! What did you do?!"

Gaara looked at his sister, curious as to what she was talking about. Why would Kankuro know why Rox was participating?

Kankuro walked up, "What now?" He asked, clearly annoyed with her.

Gaara looked at him, "Rox is participating."

Kankuro had a satisfied smile on his face, "So, she made it. That's good. I was a bit worried she wouldn't figure out the map."

Temari looked ready to kill Kankuro, "Why did you have to pick the obvious person that would win this thing?!"

"Relax, Temari," Kankuro said with a wave. "She'll probably drop out. She doesn't even want to be here. If anything, we'll learn something from her."

Gaara knew that much was true. Rox had the purest heart he had ever come across. For someone who was treated so badly…she had managed to overcome it. There was no wonder her faith resided solely on the village. She knew the village wouldn't betray her. If he ever needed anything, he knew she would do her absolute best to fulfill it and if she was uncertain she couldn't do it, she would tell him and promise not to disappoint him the next time he asked her to do something. She always kept those promises.

If Gaara could favor an applicant, it would be Rox.

"So, who did you pick, Temari?" Kankuro asked.

"Spyre," she said. "Rox's brother."

Kankuro chuckled a bit, "That was dirty what you did, Gaara. Making the applicants live together like that. And they can't help each other. Do you know if Spyre and Rox are living together?"

Gaara didn't answer. The rooms had been set up to where the personalities would conflict against each other. Spyre and Rox were the perfect example of this.

… … … …

I opened the door to my hotel room and found Spyre's things in there. Wonderful. I fell onto the bed and opened the scroll.

'You made it to Konoha. Congratulations. For the next week, you will be assisting the people of Konoha. There are forms for the people you assist to fill out on your dresser. The minimum amount for you to have will be 10. The number of complaints against you will be taken away from the number of people you assist.'

Wonderful. A week of living with Spyre in Konoha. I picked up the forms and shook my head. There was no way I was making someone fill out these. It was dehumanizing. I yawned as I folded my arms under my head and started to close my eyes when the door opened.

To my displeasure, I heard a giggle then a gasp.

I sighed as I got up and walked out of the room with a yawn. "I'll be back tonight. Don't touch my bed," I gave him a warning look and grabbed my bag.

As I shoved my hands into my dark gold pockets, I felt more tired than I had before. Help the people of Konoha. Well…might as well get started. They didn't say when to start this one.

I saw an old woman struggling with her groceries, so I carefully took the bags from her and smiled. She gave me a grateful smile, "Thank you, child." Her eyes widened when she saw my headband around my thigh. "You're not from here?"

"Oh, no ma'am. I'm from the Sand Village," I said with a gentle smile.

"Do you mind helping me with the rest of my shopping?" She asked.

"Of course not," I told her.

As we wandered around Konoha, she told me about her family, her grandkids, her cat, what kind of work she did, who she thought I should date that were ninja in the Leaf Village. I just laughed.

She gave me a mischievous smile, "Unless you've already got your eye on someone else. That Kazekage of yours is a handsome young man. I saw him when he walked through."

I smiled a bit, "The Kazekage is very handsome, but we're both on the same page as far as relationships go."

The woman gave me a firm look, "You shouldn't force yourself from not loving, Roxanne."

God, she sounded like my grandmother.

I sighed, "I'm not. I just believe the village should come first. I'm a ninja. And I might be Kazekage if this trial thing works out. Lord help Suna if I win."

I had told the old woman everything about the trial. As I put away her groceries, she sat at her table.

"Where is the form I have to fill out?" The old woman asked.

"I don't believe in bragging about such things," I told her. "They're just going to have to take my word for it. They told me to go out and help people all week. That's what I'm going to do. I'll probably reach ten, but giving us the forms dehumanizes the people we help and gives us reason to rush through whoever we help without really getting to know them. Even though this isn't my village, what if I am Kazekage one day? What if I have to come here and settle a war disagreement or something? I'll need to be on good terms with the people as well as the Hokage."

The old woman smiled gently, "If you become Kazekage, the Sand Village will be blessed with a wise ruler."

"We already have one," I said with a smile. "No one can replace Gaara. That's the scariest part of the apprenticeship. Knowing that one day he will be."

When I was done, the old woman thanked me and I left with a fond farewell and directions to a nearby restaurant. When I walked in, I found Gaara, Temari, and Kankuro there with some other familiar faces.

As if he knew I walked in, Naruto turned around and a massive grin covered the blonde's face. "ROXY!" He yelled as he jumped up and almost tackled me to the ground.

Only he was permitted to call me 'Roxy'. I would destroy anyone else.

I embraced the hyper-active blonde tightly.

"Hey Naruto," I greeted, clearly tired. "What's up?"

"Just eating with Gaara and his family. "They said you were in town, but didn't know where you were."

I shot Kankuro a glare before smiling at Naruto, "I've been working on stuff. No big deal."

"You're doing the apprenticeship too?" Naruto asked, a bit shocked. "You don't seem like the kind of person to do it."

I jumped into the empty seat next to him and ordered some ramen because that's what everyone else had and I was too tired to read the menu.

"I'm doing it so Spyre doesn't get it," I told him. "God help Suna if either of us end up with it."

Kankuro snickered, "You seem tired. What's up with that?"

"I surfed across the desert then flew across the Valley Village place and made it here just after dawn or something. The people at the gate told me Spyre beat me and then I got to the hotel and found Spyre's stuff in my room. I was almost asleep when he brought a girl to the room. But, on the good news, I have helped one person."

"Really?" Kankuro asked, a bit disappointed. "Most people have already helped four."

I took a bite of my ramen and shrugged, "I'm not filling out the forms."

Naruto almost choked on his ramen as did Kankuro.

Gaara simply looked at me, "And why is that?"

"I don't agree with them," I told him. "You're asking me to go out to the people of Konoha and ask them if they need help just so I can get ten forms filled out saying what a good job I did. No," I said as I shook my head. "You of all people should know better, Gaara. Being Kazekage is not about glory. If anything it's about the silent help you provide in your position of power."

Naruto stared at me then looked at Gaara, "Can she be your apprentice?"

"Not if she doesn't learn her limits," Gaara stated. "She won't be any use if she doesn't get some sleep."

"You're the one that put me in the same room as Spyre after giving me 24 hours to figure out a map and get here," I sighed as I finished up my ramen. "Your fault, not mine. If I kill him, don't tell my mother."

I paid for my ramen and started to leave but Naruto stopped me, "If it's that bad, you can live with me."

I smiled at my friend's generosity but shook my head, "No thanks, Naruto. I'm playing this fair."

I wandered back to the hotel room to see it completely trashed, but my bed was untouched. Good. I took a shower and got dressed for bed then fell onto it, falling asleep almost instantly.

I woke up to snoring. Awful, nasally, deep throat congested snoring. I looked over to see Spyre with a woman under his arm. There was very good probability she was naked. I sighed as I sat up and yawned. When I looked at the clock, I took note of what time it was. 3:27. What the heck. I stretched and got up, placing a pillow over my brother's face to quiet the disgusting noise then climbed back into bed only to hear the woman in the bed grumble and move around.

"Who are you?" She asked me, still half asleep.

God, she looked awful. Her makeup was everywhere, her hair was everywhere.

"I'm Roxanne," I told her. "Who are you?"

"I'm Ruby," she said with a hateful glare. "And you stay away from him. He's mine."

I deadpanned, "You're an idiot."

I curled up, pulling the covers over me and turning my back to her. But, that wasn't the end of our conversation.

Spyre suddenly groaned, "What is it, babe?"

"She called me an idiot," Ruby whined.

"Rox, are you up?" Spyre asked.

"I'm trying to sleep, Spyre. Go to sleep."

"Why'd you call her an idiot?"

"She thinks I want you," I scoffed.

He chuckled, "Wouldn't be the first time."

I sighed and sat up. With some quick hand signs, I put my palm out and launched the pair out of the bed.

"Sleep on that," I hissed then curled up under the sheets. "And when you bring a new girl in tomorrow, be sure to specify that I'm your sister so we don't have to go through this again."

In the morning, I got ready while Spyre 'broke up' with Ruby. She was absolutely distraught. I left them there and went to go find breakfast. I ended up back at the place I had eaten at the day before.

When I sat down, I just kind of stared at the guy. "You don't have anything else other than ramen?"

"No, this is Ichiraku Ramen," he said slowly. "Sorry."

I sighed, "That's fine. Ramen it is. I don't care which kind. Surprise me."

He smiled and started cooking. "So, you're in the apprenticeship for Kazekage?" He asked. "Must be exciting."

"If you like that sort of thing," I said.

"And do you?"

"I guess," I said. "It's been an adventure so far. This part's been less exciting though. But, I haven't really been following the rules. I don't think the Kazekage's too happy about it."

"I think he was impressed with your reason," the man said. "I was. It takes a brave person to stand up to someone of power like that and tell them your opinion and why you're not going to follow the rules they set."

I just shrugged. "The Kazekage and I have a certain understanding about such things."

"So that gives you immunity to the rules?" The man asked as he presented me with the bowl of ramen.

"No," I said. "But faced with a new proposal with what I gave him, he may consider it an option."

"How will he know you did it?"

"He knows I would take my own life before I would disobey him."

I looked at my right arm where a scar swirled up to my elbow. It was from my first confrontation with Gaara. I had tried to talk to him and his sand had viciously attacked me. I had accepted his apology, but my parents had a different reaction. The scar on my arm would never go away, much like the kanji on his forehead.

"Sounds like you've faced that before," he said.

I looked up at him, "Something like that."

Someone grabbed my shoulder, hard followed by a laugh. "Looks like you had the same idea we did!"

I looked at Kankuro as he sat next to me and smiled. He always looked better without his face paint. "Morning, Kankuro."

"Got a complaint about you," Gaara said as he sat on the other side of me, giving me a pointed look. "Roxanne, you cannot harass the villagers."

"You're talking about Ruby, right?" I asked.

His eyes told me 'yes' but he made no gesture to confirm it.

I knew I was in trouble, "Yes sir. It won't happen again."

"Why were you and your brother bothering her?" Gaara asked.

"She slept with him last night," I answered. "I guess she thought it was a real relationship. Nothing's real with him. She's probably a different girl than the one that caused me to leave yesterday. But, I woke up to Spyre snoring so I got up and put a pillow on his face and it woke her up. She told me to stay away from him and I called her an idiot. She woke up Spyre and whined about it. So, I pushed them both out of the bed and went back to sleep. When I left the room this morning, they were breaking up."

"He didn't even bother to clarify that you were his sister?" Temari asked.

"Nope," I said as I finished my ramen. "I'm thinking about taking Naruto's offer. How many points is that going to take off?"

Gaara just looked at me then looked away. Guess it hadn't been factored in.

"Can I live with Naruto?"

"If it doesn't distract you from what you're supposed to do, I don't care," Gaara said.

I frowned a bit. "I am sorry, Kazekage-sama," I said quietly. "I didn't mean to bring you any disrespect."

… … … …

After Rox had paid for her ramen, she walked out like a wounded dog. Her pride was gone. Gaara knew there would be forms coming from her now. That troubled him.

Kankuro sighed as he watched her leave, "What do you want to do?"

"Don't interfere," Gaara said. "It would be best for her to leave Spyre if he is using the women of Konoha. She would have no complaints against her."

… … … …

So, I was back to square one. I had to start all over. That was annoying. I watched as I walked for anyone that would need any help. Though my pride was shot, I was still determined not to use those stupid forms.

"Stop! Thief!"

I watched the man running towards me and I stuck my foot out, tripping him. Really? People stole? People were stupid enough to steal.

He rolled over and looked at me with a glare, "Just who do you think you are?"

"A Chunin," I told him. "Give me what you stole and we'll see what he wants done with you."

He got up and handed me what he stole then walked with me back to the stand.

"Is this everything he stole?" I asked the man, keeping a firm hold on the man so he couldn't run.

"Yes," the stand owner said with a grateful smile. "Thank you."

"I'm from the Sand Village, so I can't arrest him," I told the stand owner. "What do you want to do with him?"

"I want him arrested!" the stand owner yelled. "Are you one of the apprentice applicants?"

"Yes sir," I answered.

"Where is the form I need to fill out? You need to be properly thanked."

I smiled, "If they ask, tell them you were helped by Roxanne Sula. I'm not doing the forms. It goes against some of my personal beliefs."


	2. Misunderstanding

By the fourth day, I had helped 15 people. But, I wasn't going to stop there. As I stopped again at the ramen place for lunch, Kankuro walked in with a face that I couldn't quite read because I had never seen it before. He…he was troubled by something.

He sighed as he sat next to me, "Rox, we need to talk."

"Ok," I said slowly as I took a bite of my ramen. "What's wrong?"

He sighed again as he pushed his hood back and ran his fingers through his brown hair, "Gaara wants to talk to you about it personally. So, you might want to prepare yourself for a lecture. Baki-sensei is going to be there as well."

"Are you coming with me?" I asked quietly as I paid for my ramen, finding myself unable to finish it.

"To a point," he said. "Gaara doesn't want me to come in with you. He knows you won't listen if you have some sort of support."

What sort of trouble was I in? Gaara only summoned me when I was in serious trouble and that was for accidently blowing the windows out of my house and the glass had cut up Spyre. That was hardly a lecture, but Gaara's superior presence was enough to scare me into never practice a serious jutsu inside the house again. Especially one that I didn't have full control over.

I followed Kankuro to the Hokage's tower where he took me to a room and stopped outside. The troubled look never left his face, "Good luck."

I took a deep breath and let it go then knocked.

"Enter," Gaara said emotionlessly.

As emotionless as it was, the two syllable word was like a dagger to my heart. It still held some emotion. He knew it was me. There was some anger in the way he had said it, but moreover, there was confusion.

I slowly opened the door and closed it behind me. My eyes found Baki first, who looked utterly pissed. I knew he was going to go off first.

"Do you realize what you've done to our village, Roxanne?" Baki asked angrily. "You've disgraced us! We've been given seven different complaints already! Seven!"

He picked up some papers, "You've insulted the villagers, defaced their buildings, harmed their children! What were you thinking?!"

My eyes landed on Gaara as I waited for him to start. His pupil-less pale blue-green eyes stayed on mine for a moment before he closed them, "Baki, will you leave us?"

That shocked both of us, but Baki's was clearer while terror took me.

Man, I really was in trouble.

Once Baki left, an uncomfortable silence took the room while Gaara stood up and picked up the papers Baki had shuffled through that had my complaints on them. In his other hand were another set of papers.

"I want you to look at something," he told me.

I walked forward and took the papers from his hands. The names on the complaints were the same as the people my brother had helped. The same women he had been sleeping with. My nose scrunched up at the thought. He had already slept with seven women…seven complete strangers.

"After the first two complaints, Kankuro decided to have you and your brother followed. Seeing as how you haven't done any of these things, only the first two complaints will be counted against you since we can't disprove them. You will still be followed. I'm sorry."

"So…I'm not in trouble?" I asked.

Slight amusement lit those emotionless eyes giving me my answer.

I smiled a little and bowed a bit, "Then I will see you in a few days, Gaara-sama."


	3. An Order

On the last day, we had received a scroll with a time to see the Kazekage and discuss the people we had helped. I wasn't going to see him until three, so I decided to crash with Naruto. Once again, I got ramen.

I never wanted to eat ramen again.

"You know, Gaara told me about this crazy thing," Naruto said. "Now that it's over, I guess I can tell you."

I looked at him, wondering what he was talking about. "Were we not actually supposed to help the people?" I asked.

"No, but some people were actually Leaf ninja disguised as villagers. They reported directly to Gaara about you."

I groaned, "Are you serious?! Gaara plays so dirty!"

Naruto laughed, "A ninja must see through deception! And even I was one of the villagers! How could you not see that?!"

"Naruto, I haven't slept like at all this week. You know that. Spyre and his lady friends have kept me up all week."

"Is he always like that when he goes on missions?" Naruto asked me. "Ninja shouldn't be like that."

"Yeah," I grumbled. "I went on a mission one time," I said thinking back to the mission. "It was me, Spyre, and Kankuro. We were going to the Grass Village. The Jounin traveling with us learned quickly that I had to sleep in the same tent as Kankuro rather than with my own brother."

Naruto blinked, "Explains why you're so close with them."

I glared at him, "Don't go there."

"I wasn't!"He snickered, "But since YOU did-"

"Shut it, Naruto," I warned.

"So, you do like one of them," he joked. "Which one? Huh? Which one? Whichonewhichonewhichone?!"

"Neither of them," I told him. "I'm not interest in either of the Sand Brothers."

"Then why are you trying to become the apprentice if you're not interested in the position?" Naruto asked with a devious smile.

I sighed, "You don't give up. I can't let Spyre get it. Even if that means I have to get it, at least I'll save Suna," I said getting quieter as I looked at my glass of water in front of me.

"Save Suna?" Naruto repeated questioningly. "What do you mean?"

"My family hates Gaara," I told him. "Gaara's always been aware of it and Spyre takes every chance he can to make Gaara remember what he's done. If Spyre becomes the Kazekage apprentice, I have no doubt he will try to kill Gaara…only this time Gaara won't come back."

I wiped my tears away and sighed. "And I can't let that happen. I won't let it happen. Even if I have to rip Spyre apart myself, I won't let it happen."

Naruto stared at me, "That's a little intense, don't you think?"

"My family has no loyalty to itself," I said. "I'm the only one that has any sort of loyalty to anything and that's to the village. Whatever Gaara says, I do. I might not do it the way he says, but I'll do it. Well, let's go Naruto. Gaara doesn't like to wait."

We paid for the ramen and went on to the Hokage's Tower. I knocked on the door. Naruto just laughed and opened the door then pushed me in and closed it. I blushed as Gaara stared at me, a bit shocked that I had walked in without permission.

I pointed behind me with a nervous laugh, "Naruto."

He sighed, "Have a seat."

I sat in the chair across from him and found myself too nervous to sit there so I just floated in the air to have some way to release the nervousness. Gaara looked up at me and shook his head then went back to looking at the papers.

"Naruto told you that we had some of the Leaf Ninja disguised as villagers," he stated.

"Yes," I confirmed.

He continued going through the papers. "You found most of them," he said. "All of them favored you over the others they encountered. Claiming you were the most genuine and caring. You weren't in a rush to get the task done and you were generally interested in their lives and asked in what other ways you could help them rather than leaving it at the one task." He picked up a paper and almost smiled, "Naruto dragged you around all day."

"Yep," I said with a smile. "That was a fun day. Until he decided to go underwear shopping…that was less fun."

A ghost of a smile formed on Gaara's lips, "Very well. Here is your next task."

I let my feet touch the ground and bowed a bit, "Thank you Gaara-san."

"Stop," he demanded.

I looked at him, a bit started by the strength in his voice. "S-Stop?"

"Stop with the formalities," he told me. "I don't like feeling superior to you. You're a friend, Rox. You're different than the rest of the villagers."

We both knew he didn't like feeling superior at all to anyone, but it was something that he enforced. He could scare anyone with that gaze, but it had grown gentler over the years. But when he became Kazekage, my parents forced me to start calling him sama, san, or Kazekage. It bothered me to no end. I knew we were growing farther apart because of it…because I felt…less than a friend and more of just a villager.

I exhaled, "Ok," I said quietly. "I'll…do my best."

"No," he said. "You'll do it." I looked at him to see a small smile on his lips, "It's an order."


	4. False Hope

I sighed as I floated quietly above Konoha. Lying back and reading the scroll, I wasn't particularly happy about the scroll's demands. I had the next four days off. That wasn't saying much. If I didn't fly back to Suna, that would only give me one day to relax before the lectures started.

I hated lectures. Especially when Baki was the one giving them. He was torturously boring. And there would be three days of his lectures about what it took to be a Kazekage, the tasks of the Kagekage, the responsibilities of the Kazekage, and so on. Then there would be a test.

I sighed as I dropped from the sky and looked for Naruto to tell him goodbye. When I found him, he was eating ramen. I wanted to puke just looking at the noodle dish.

"Hey Naruto," I said with a smile. "I'm heading out for my next task."

Naruto slurped up the noodles and pouted, "Won't you stay for ramen?"

"I'm pretty sure I'll puke if I have another bowl of it," I told him. "I don't think I can handle it like you can."

"Please!" He begged. "I'll even pay for it!"

I hated his begging blue eyes winning me over. I sighed as I sat down and got another bowl of ramen. Thankfully, it would be the last for a long time.

"So, what's your next task?" Naruto asked.

"Well, I get four days off, so I'm taking my time getting back getting back to Suna," I replied. "Then I get to listen to Baki-sensei lecture for three days about the Kazekage and everything he does and the importance of the position and whatever. Then I have to take a test about it."

Naruto laughed, "Sucks for you!"

I glared at him. "I hope the Hokage does the same thing. Then you'll feel my pain."

Naruto paled, "That wasn't nice."

I just smiled then rested my head on my hand as I sat there thoughtfully. "I'm not worried about the test though. So far it's been easy. Really, the only challenge was getting here in less than 24 hours. Gaara's got to put up a challenge soon. He's giving us three days worth of lectures to make sure we understand and then testing us on it. Does he really think someone's going to fail after that?"

Naruto smiled at me, "A ninja must see through deception!"

I gave him a blank look, "Kakashi really hammered that into you, didn't he?"

He laughed goofily, "Yeah."

I sighed as I thought about it, "Well, it wouldn't be the first time on this stupid thing. If people are going to fail this test…I wonder what's next."

I shrugged and finished off my ramen then gave Naruto a hug, "Bye Naruto. Who knows, the next time I see you I might be the Kazekage's apprentice."

Naruto looked stunned, "You're actually trying now?"

I scoffed, "Since when do I try? And I think Gaara would appreciate the village in hands he trusts." I sighed as I looked at the people of Konoha, "It would make me feel better as well."

"Why is Gaara doing it anyway?" He asked. "I'm sure he could get a girlfriend."

"Would you want someone that loves you for you or because you're Hokage?" I asked and smiled.

He blinked a bit then grinned slyly, "You like Gaara!"

"I don't like Gaara," I told him. "Would you stop that?"

"I'm telling him when I see him," he said with a vicious grin.

I rolled my eyes and gave a short wave, "See you next time, Naruto. It's a long walk back to Suna."

Naruto laughed cheekily as I walked Baki, Kankuro, Temari, and Gaara.

"Heading back?" Temari asked.

"Yeah," I replied. "I'll see you there."

"Travel with us," Kankuro insisted. "You know you want to."

I weighed my options. If I traveled with them, I would have company. Pleasant company, as a matter of fact. If I traveled alone, I would be alone, which I was fine with either way.

Well, I needed pleasant company for a change.

I took the empty seat by Baki and just sat quietly while the others talked.

Naruto suddenly started laughing, "So, Gaara, I found out something interesting about Roxy."

I was sure everyone glanced at me before they looked at Naruto, though Gaara just kept his eyes on Naruto.

"If it will affect my opinion about her as an apprentice, I'm afraid I can't hear it until this is over," Gaara said.

Naruto groaned, "You're no fun!"

I sniggered, but Kankuro spoke up, "I still wanna know."

Naruto's face lit up with mischief as he leaned over and whispered the 'secret' to Kankuro, who's eyes widened and he looked at me.

"It's not true," I told him.

Naruto laughed goofily. Now, Temari was interested in the secret which Kankuro told her and she giggled.

I just sighed and got up, "You're all fools."

"But Roxy," Naruto whined, "we're just having fun! C'mon! Don't be like that!"

I smiled at Naruto, "I know, Naruto. But I'm still going to wait outside. I'm seriously about to puke from the excess of ramen this week. The smell is killing me."

As I waited outside, Spyre walked by. "Shouldn't you be leaving?" He asked with a belittling edge to his voice. "Everyone knows it will take you a week to get back to Suna with the four day limit."

I didn't comment as I leaned against the building.

"What?" Spyre mocked. "Nothing to say? Have you finally run out of terrible comebacks?"

I merely closed my eyes as I crossed my arms over my chest to keep myself from attacking him. He had damaged me. There were few ways to hurt my pride. The most damaging way was to make me look like a fool in front of Gaara.

Two complaints. I had two complaints from actual villagers from the Leaf Village.

"So, did you make it to the next course?" Spyre asked as he stood there. "I did. I helped ten people and none of them complained against me."

None. Yet, every day, he brought to that hotel room a different woman. Some days, he brought more than one. How else could he have gotten the ten he needed?

I felt my nails break the skin of my arm, but I made no expression of pain as I stood there.

He chuckled a bit, "I heard a rumor that you had at least seven. I didn't know you were so bad at these things? Can't even help a person without hurting their kids? Really Roxanne? What did that kid do to you? Perhaps you shouldn't be Kazekage. You should just drop out if you didn't make it. But then again, another monster-"

He didn't finish his sentence before the entire area around us had been silenced and Spyre was about two feet in the ground, staring up at me with true fear in his eyes as I held a kunai at his throat.

The rare occasions I showed my anger, I changed ever so slightly. I harbored no demons, yet I bore fangs when my anger flared and I had slightly longer fingernails. We weren't sure if it had to do with my chakra or what because I never really tapped into it. I was calm and happy…or just a ditz.

"You will say no such things about him in front of me," I snarled at him. I pushed the kunai against his skin, drawing blood. "I will not hesitate to take your life next time."

I pulled him out of the small crater I had made by throwing him down and pushed him down the walkway.

"Is…everything ok?"

I turned to see everyone watching me. Looking away, I nodded a bit shamefully. I hadn't meant for them to see it, but they had. There was no changing it now.

"Are you alright?" Kankuro asked. "I've never seen you react like that. Or threaten someone like that."

I smiled a bit, "You know how we are. He was rubbing salt in a wound then…brought up the past."

I couldn't make myself say it. I never had been able to. I always just left it at 'bringing up the past'.

Kankuro stared at me for a moment a bit shocked I had reacted so violently to it. I was protective of Gaara, but to that extent was almost unheard of…almost.

"What wound?" Gaara asked.

"Just decided to tell me how he didn't have any complaints," I said quietly. "And I should drop out because there was a rumor about the complaints I had. The only complaint he brought up was the children I had harmed."

It made my stomach tighten with sickness. The one mission I had failed…the one that was my fault for failing…I had harmed a child by accident. The child was fine, but I never fully recovered from it. The child had been in the middle of the fight. I wasn't sure how he had gotten there, but when I jumped to save him, I knew the enemy would get to him first, so I ended up using a wind jutsu to knock him out of the way. But the boy landed on some kunai that cut him up pretty bad. The family didn't understand why I would attack their son and they were very angry, so the successful mission was reported a failure, since he was not returned safely.

Our journey back to Suna began. I couldn't say I was excited, but I was glad to be heading home.

Gaara started walking next to me, "What have you thought of this so far?"

"You play dirty," I told him. "But it's been easy. When's it going to get challenging?"

He didn't respond which meant it was already beginning. This test would not be just some test. I sighed as I folded my arms behind my head. "I hope you have an original idea for this test and it isn't like the Chunin exams where we had to figure out how to cheat. That was so lame."

"How did you cheat?" Gaara asked.

"I'm not telling," I said with a smile. "Then Baki-sensei will know what to look for incase that is what we have to do."

"Why would I make you cheat to become Kazekage?" Gaara questioned.

I looked at him for a moment, considering the question. After a moment, I shrugged, "Why are you having a contest to see who should be the best apprentice? Why not just pick someone?"

"Naruto told me something that concerns me," Gaara told me. "Is it true you are doing this just because of your brother?"

I smiled, "Things have changed since that discussion. But that was the initial decision."

"What changed?"

I shrugged, "Getting your trust is not easy. And if something does happen before the apprenticeship is over, you'll be more comfortable leaving the village with someone you trust rather than someone you don't."

"Your brother…"

"Yes, I do believe if he gets this apprenticeship he will try to kill you."

Gaara walked in silence for a while. I didn't disturb his thoughts as we walked. I raised an eyebrow as I realized something.

"Hey, Kankuro, where are your puppets?"

He looked at me, "I didn't bring them. Why?"

I growled and got in front of Gaara. Gaara hadn't brought his gourd either, but I knew he wasn't an imposter. Or…

Suddenly all of them poofed into different ninja, except Baki. I looked up at him, a bit confused.

"Do you really think Gaara would leave for a week for this?" Baki asked. "I hope you don't mind."

"Uh…I guess…not? That…does explain…a lot," I said still confused.

I sighed and shook my head. Whatever.

"So," the guy that had been Gaara started, "You're the one that everyone knows not to piss off. Roxanne Sula. Gaara said to expect you to be different, though I didn't expect you to be that different. Especially to the point of almost killing your brother."

I looked at the Jounin and scoffed, "You know nothing of my life. I live by few rules, but know this one. Do not insult the Kazekage in front of me."

Baki chuckled, "It could cost you your life."

"You almost killed your brother because of his opinion of the Kazekage?" Another ninja asked. "That's a little extreme."

I looked at the scar on my arm, "No. It isn't. Gaara did his best to make friends. No one would let him. I did my best to try. In return, I got this." They stared at the scar on my arm. "He came to my house to apologize. My parents slammed the door in his face. I snuck out the back door and walked with him. We talked for a while. But, no one let him become a person. They let his heart turn cold. No one gave him a chance."

I didn't want to stay with them anymore. I wasn't comfortable traveling with people I didn't know. Especially people that had been fooling me all week. On the third day, I was walking into Suna.

It was hot…and I was killing Kankuro, Temari, and…

I stopped walking.

Gaara…that was a fake Gaara that considered us friends…


	5. Official Friends

It was one more day until the lectures began.I wasn't even sure if the lectures were required to be attended. But…my head was gone.

Gaara…

As I stayed above Suna, letting the sun scorch me as it usually did, I just relaxed while my mind and heart became more burdened with the thoughts I had had since I had entered the village.

Did Gaara consider us friends? Why would he? It…

Suddenly, there was sand next to me. I sat up as Gaara came up next to me.

"Kankuro has been searching for you," he told me.

"S-Sorry it disturbed your work, Kazekage," I apologized.

Gaara looked up at the clear blue sky. There was never anything to stare at. It never rained in Suna.

"Do you miss Konoha?" He asked.

"Not really, why?"

"You've been here all day, staring at the sky. Are you imagining clouds?"

I shook my head as I looked over Suna, "My troubles shouldn't be your burdens to bear, sir."

"The fact you have troubles is enough to bother me," Gaara replied while crossing his arms over his chest in his usual fashion. "What's bothering you?"

I glanced at him as I sat on the air, "Something happened in Konoha. It wasn't major. Just made me wonder if I was doing this for the right reasons."

"What reasons are those?"

"Originally it was to keep my brother from getting it. But, it's changed. Suna needs a Kazekage that will stay loyal to them. Suna will need another Kazekage like you. One that is not afraid of dying and will do whatever it takes for the village."

He stared over the village, contemplating my words. "Do you feel you meet that?"

"In some ways. But not in every way. No one will be able to replace you. But, every new Kazekage will be able to offer something the previous couldn't."

"And what can you offer?"

"Only time can tell," I responded quietly.

"What happened in Suna?" He asked. "Nothing bothers you to this extent."

"Your Kazekage copy…told me something that he shouldn't have just jumped to the assumption of."

The slight change in his emotionless face told me he was confused.

As I watched some sand stir in the distance, I decided to gather my courage and replied, "He…said we were friends."

Gaara was quiet for a moment. After a few minutes of silence, he finally responded, "What do you think?"

"We are," I said with a sad smile, "But…with you being the Kazekage…it's changed some things…because of my family."

"Why does your brother concern you?" Gaara asked.

Did those ninja not report anything?

"How many complaints did I get back in Konoha?" I asked.

The slight widening of his eyes told me he knew nothing about it.

"Gaara, haven't they reported back to you? Baki should be back by now."

"They're still eliminating applicants," he informed me. "How many complaints did you get?"

"Do you want to know how many counted or how many I actually got?"

"Both," he replied simply.

"Two counted against me. I think I had ten against me. All of them were Spyre's…women friends."

"Women friends?" Gaara asked.

I smiled a bit, "You're still too innocent to understand that one. And I'm too blunt to describe it. Ask Kankuro. So, where is he and what does he want?"

"He thinks you're going to skip lectures," Gaara said. "He was going to stop you from considering it."

I sighed. "Man…he knows me too well. Ok, I'll listen to his little rant and then skip the lectures. Can't lose that way."

Gaara closed his eyes with a quiet sigh, "You'll fail if you don't attend."

"Then I'll sleep through it," I told him. "And I dare Baki to wake me up. It will be war."

The sand wrapped around him and he was gone. I smiled slightly as I floated to the ground then landed lightly on my feet and went looking for Kankuro to get the lecture of the day about skipping class.

But he was so getting punched in the face first.

"Rox!" I stopped and turned to see Kankuro walking up to me.

He must have known he would have got punched that day because he wasn't wearing face paint or his hood. He knew I couldn't hurt him when he looked normal. He was just adorable without it.

"Hey," I said. "Gaara said you were looking for me."

He blinked in surprise, "Y-You're on a first name basis with my brother? Y-You've actually accepted that concept?"

"We just got finished talking about it. So, whatcha want?"

"You need to go to the classes," he told me seriously. "I've seen the test. It's going to be brutal."


	6. Test Day

I decided to heed Kankuro's warning, and at 6 in the morning, I was practically crawling into the classroom. I plopped into a chair, and it was lights out as soon as Baki said, "I'm glad you all could make it."

All three days were like that. But, the third day held the test. So, I did my best to stay awake for that. While I tried to listen to Baki's lecture, I realized it was like listening to someone speak in a different language. As I watched students around the room taking notes as fast as they could, I wondered if they even realized what they were writing.

Baki was talking about the lack of rain in Suna and how the Kazekage could bring water to Suna. That wasn't Gaara's responsibility. Anyone with a brain knew that we had underground water system for that.

I closed my eyes and was about to fall asleep again when a piece of paper was slammed in front of me. I looked up at Baki with a bored expression. He gave me a smirk, "Good luck."

With a yawn, I pulled the pencil out of my hair and started working on the test. After reading the first question, my decision to kill Kankuro was official. This test was rigged. What was with Gaara and playing this so dirty?!

Naruto's words of wisdom from his sensei 'A ninja must see through deception' rang through my mind for a moment. But Gaara wasn't normally deceptive.

The first question asked how the Kazekage would approach a situation of an abused child and gave three bogus answers: ignore it, approach the parents about the situation, or take the child away.

The Kazekage would not do any of those. He may combine the last two, but individually, he would not do either of the last two, so I marked out all of the reasons, explaining why they were incorrect then wrote my explanation of why he would possibly do both of the last two reasons and circled that answer.

The rest of the test was like that.

No wonder Kankuro said it was brutal. He wouldn't have been able to figure it out at all.

I stood up and turned it in then walked out of the room while putting my hands in my pockets. I was tired and my head hurt. Now, I had to wait.

I hated being rushed just to wait. That was annoying. So, I went to the Kazekage tower to see if we were doing missions during this nonsense.

As usual, I knocked.

"Enter," Gaara said.

He sounded stressed.

I opened the door and closed it behind me, "You alright?"

"Fine," He said. "What is it?"

"You don't sound fine and I was wondering if I had a mission while all this is going on?"

"You do now," he said. "Assign missions."

I chuckled a bit and took the mission scrolls from him then walked out of his office. When I walked to the main office, I found Kankuro there, trying to sort some papers out.

"I should kill you," I told him with a glare. "Freaked me out and made me wake up at 6 for nothing! You know I stayed up the entire time this time only to find out he was telling everyone about how the Kazekage is responsible for the water source!"

Kankuro just gave me a timid smile, "Sorry. Gaara used me and Temari as guinea pigs on the test and we couldn't pass it."

I sighed, "Why is he playing this so dirty? That test was beyond easy. If you thought a little more, you would have figured it out."

I sat at the desk and looked at the papers Kankuro was looking at, "What are you doing?"

"I can't figure out where these papers go," He said aggravated.

I looked over them, "Mission reports, mission requests, and complaints. I'll look over them. Gaara seemed stressed."

"Yeah, people have been bothering him all day," Temari said. "He wouldn't say why."

While I assigned missions and read the papers and organized them, I came across a paper that seemed very rehearsed and familiar. A threat against Gaara with my father's name on it.

I just put it in the complaints with a sigh. The fool. After a while, I stood up and stretched then went to check on Gaara. He was stressed out. He needed to let it show. A fight would help him out, though he probably wouldn't want to.

I knocked again.

"Enter," he said.

I walked in and he looked more stressed than before. The fact it was showing bothered me.

"C'mon, let's go for a walk," I told him.

"I can't," he said.

I quietly closed the door and walked to the desk to see what was bothering him. "Do you want to talk about it?"

"No."

With a gust of wind, he was out of his chair and on the floor. I had him pinned with a smirk. "Now, tell me what's wrong."

Sand pulled me off and placed me on the ground. "I'm not in the mood for a fight, Rox."

I crossed my arms over my chest with a growl, "You're annoying."

I was pretty sure I saw a smile as he picked up his chair and sat back down, but the stress came back.

"Gaara, you know sunlight is the key to happiness."

"No it's not," he told me.

"Well, it sure helps. Let's go. Just for a little while. Just to get your mind off whatever it is."

He sighed, giving in to my pestering and followed me to the roof. We stood in the hot sun, just enjoying the day.

I smiled as I took in Suna's peacefulness, "See? Sunlight and good company. Key to happiness."

He didn't respond. We stood in silence for a while.

"The next test will be the final test," he told me. "Whoever remains after that will be voted by the villagers. They will know the names of the applicants that remain, but the ballots they receive will not have the names on them, just the results they received. That way there is no favoritism."

"Is that what's bothering you?" I asked. "You're worried about the next test. It's something you didn't rig."

"It's something I can't rig," he said, the slightest smirk forming on his lips. "You get to be Kazekage for the day."

I was pretty sure my world crashed around me. I felt sick.

"Please tell me you're lying," I begged.

"No," he said seriously. "I have to know who's ready now to accept responsibility."

I never hoped so badly that I had failed a test. But…if Spyre makes it…I'd have to make it too…if not for the village, then to save Gaara from another premature death…


	7. A Day as Kazekage

The test results came back. I had passed. So had Spyre.

Only 15 people had passed the test. I would be the Kazekage in eleven days. Spyre would be on the in twelve.

Guess, I would practice flying until then.

Every day, I practiced forming cyclones at the bottom of my feet. I had to practice outside of the village because the wind currents caused sandstorms inside the village. The villagers didn't appreciate that.

I didn't hear or see much of Temari, Kankuro, or Gaara during the ten days I waited and practiced. Which was good. No one had complained about me practicing.

When my day came, I went to the office and found Gaara waiting for me. I yawned as I looked at the window. The sun wasn't even up yet. It was 4:30.

"I hate you in so many different ways," I muttered.

He didn't say anything as he walked past me and I sat at his desk. I sighed as I looked at the mountain of papers. Some dating back to when this had first began. Really?

I read over everything, signing them and putting them in separate piles as I organized everything.

Someone knocked.

"Come in," I answered, not looking away from the paper I was reading.

The door opened and closed.

"Hey Rox!" Kankuro greeted.

I glanced at him and smiled but went back to reading the paper, "What is it Kankuro?"

He chuckled, "To the point as always. Just seeing how it's going."

"Who is in charge of missions?" I asked.

"Gaara, today."

I picked up the stack of missions and handed them to him, "Get the D and C rank missions from the beginning of this done as soon as you can. Why the missions from the beginning of this are still in here is beyond me."

"Um, what about the others?"

"There weren't any," I said. "At least I haven't found any yet. The Genin need as much practice as they can get."

"What are the others?"

"Complaints about the missions that haven't been done. Letters from surrounding villages. A message from the Hokage. Threats against Gaara's life. Letters from Naruto. I put those in a drawer."

"I'll get those to him," he said.

I handed him the letters from Naruto. I hadn't read any, but from the amount Naruto had written, he wasn't happy the Kazekage hadn't written him back.

I continued signing. It was close to lunch when I came across a paper that caught my attention.

A request to start a war with the Leaf Village.

I read over the reasons and stood up, leaving the office. When I stepped out, I saw one of the Council members walking down the hall.

"Summon the Council immediately," I demanded.

He went off to summon the members as I read over the paper again. Why would the Council even suggest such a thing?

Apparently, while we were doing the Kazekage apprenticeship test in Konoha, the spies that were acting as villagers saw something was off about the alcoholic Hokage. Big deal. Gaara was 16. People weren't waging war with him…except the Akatsuki…but that didn't count because they just wanted the demon.

As I continued to read, I felt my heart tighten to a sickening pain. They wanted to attack Konoha to get Naruto so they could get his demon and put it in Gaara.

When all the Council was assembled, they looked at me expectantly.

"WHAT THE HELL IS THIS?!" I yelled at them, my fangs showing. "You want to ATTACK an ALLY for a DEMON to put in Gaara?! WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU THINKING?!"

"It's the best thing for the village," a member I didn't know spoke up. "Think about it. With Gaara at his fullest strength-"

"Get Gaara," I demanded.

Baki looked at me, "What do you need Gaara for?"

"Don't question me!" I snarled at him. "Get Gaara in here now!"

Someone left to get Gaara. After a few moments, Gaara walked in with the Council member.

He just looked at me.

I sighed, "Have a seat, please."

He took a seat, still watching me.

"There's been a request to start a war with Konoha. There have been a list of reasons to start that war, but none of them are valid reasons to ruin our relationship with the village. Especially the one that concerns you," I told Gaara. "But, the members of the Council brought up an interesting argument that I wanted your opinion on."

"My opinion as Kazekage is not applicable in this situation," Gaara told me.

"But as an individual it is," I replied. "Having previously been a holder of a demon, you would know how it felt to have a demon again. Are you willing to have Naruto killed for the demon in him?"

Gaara's eyes widened as he stared at me. That was an answer enough.

"That's all I needed. Thank you, Gaara. You may go."

"Wait," a member said. "I want to hear what he has to say."

I looked at the member, "I took the Chunin exams with Gaara. Naruto has been a true friend to Gaara and pulled him out of the cold darkness that you fools put him in. He's not going to get the one person that chose to help him killed."

Gaara nodded. "The Village Hidden in the Leaves is a valuable ally. Starting a war and losing them would be a foolish move."

"Your request for war is denied," I told them and went back to the Kazekage office.

The rest of the day was boring, filled with signing papers and Kankuro checking in on me. I wondered if he bothered Gaara that much.

I was glad it was over at…midnight. That's when Gaara came to get me, at least. He seemed surprised to see me, "Why are you still here?"

"I thought you were supposed to tell me when to stop," I told him.

"Kankuro was supposed to tell you," he said.

"He probably did and I wasn't listening," I mumbled. "Sorry."

He smiled slightly, "Go home."

I got up and walked by him, "Goodnight Gaara. Get some rest too."

I could feel his gaze on me as I walked away. When I got home, Spyre was still up waiting for me. I ignored all the questions he asked as I went to my room. I was tired and I wanted to sleep. It made me realize being Kazekage would be a full time position. There were no breaks. Gaara was used to not sleeping, but he had the option now without destroying the village.

I fell onto my bed and let exhaustion take me to a dreamless sleep.

As usual, I practiced outside the village to try and master flying. Creating a cyclone under my feet was harder than it seemed. For anyone that used wind jutsus, any sort of wind control was hard. What I was trying to do was considered impossible. Of course, merely floating was impossible to them.

That was simply balancing on air, much like walking on water or climbing a tree to me. Why wasn't flying the same?!

I blinked as I stood in the air.

I took a step. Then another. I could feel my chakra shaking, so I stopped there and dropped to the ground. I was onto something. I was definitely onto something.

After a quick lunch of dumplings, I went on to see if Gaara needed help assigning missions. Even though he was Kazekage, that wasn't his area of expertise. Sure enough, he was sitting at the table, looking at the mission scrolls, clearly confused.

"What is it?" I asked.

"Never let me do this again," he said.

"Give up your power?" I asked. "Yeah, that was a bad idea."

He sighed, "You have a four day mission in Konoha. From your brother," he told me as he handed the scroll. "I'll send someone to inform you of the results and if you made it to the last test."

I took the scroll and opened it. "I have to go to Konoha and buy a necklace?" I asked Gaara.

"That's what it says," he said.

"I see," I said distantly. "Alright then. I'll be back as soon as I can."

I walked out of the room and found Kankuro about to walk in. I grabbed him and shoved him against the wall, "I'm going to Konoha. I want someone watching my house, someone watching my brother, and someone guarding Gaara at all times while I'm gone."

Kankuro nodded a bit, "But why? Just because you're leaving?"

"Because my brother is sending me to Konoha to buy a necklace," I said. "A Genin could do this but he's sending me specifically. I want Gaara watched and protected."


	8. Paranoia

So, I was back in Konoha. No doubt I would be for the next four days trying to find the 'Rare Green Ruby Necklace' that would help Suna so much. Big deal. Still, a Genin could do it and the Jounin could carry it back.

On my second day of looking at the vendors, Naruto found me. He gave me a goofy grin, "Back already? What's up with Gaara not answering my letters?!"

"The last test was to be Kazekage for a day," I told him. "Gaara didn't get any of them until a few days ago. And I'm in a rush, Naruto. I need to get back to him as soon as possible. Can you tell me where I can find the Green Ruby Necklace?"

"I know Granny Tsunade has one," Naruto said. "She might know where to find another one. But why are you in a rush?"

"Spyre sent me on this when he was Kazekage," I told him. "I think he's going to try and get Gaara killed. But, since he was Kazekage that day, I have to do this mission unless Gaara tells me to come back."

Naruto just laughed, "You're paranoid."

"Gaara's a friend, Naruto. And now he's the Kazekage. I can't let anything happen. I won't."

Naruto just grinned, "Are you sure it's not Gaara you like?"

"Naruto, just leave it alone," I told him. "Even if I did, my loyalty supersedes that of whatever emotions there would be."

"Ha!" He exclaimed as he pointed at me. "You do like Gaara!"

"I never said that," I stated calmly while people around us gave me us strange looks.

After they realized it was Naruto, they just looked away with a shake of their head. I smiled slightly. Naruto's reputation was truly amazing.

"So how is this apprentice thing coming along?" Naruto asked as he folded his arms behind his head. "I mean, how much longer is it going to take?"

"We're on the last phase," I told him. "The villagers are going to get the names of the last ones that are left and the results of how they did, but they won't know whose results are whose so there won't be prejudice. As you can imagine, a lot of people were surprised when Gaara became Kazekage."

"If you get voted as the apprentice, will they be surprised?" Naruto asked.

"In my village, I have a reputation similar to yours," I said with a smile. "Mistake after mistake. Just to become stronger, to master the wind in a way no one else has. They'll be surprised. I don't know if they'll be happy, but they can't change it because it'll be their decision."


	9. Wisdom, Consideration, and Kindness

Naruto and I finally arrived at the Hokage's office.

When she saw me, her eyes widened in surprise, "What are you doing here?"

"I'm…on a mission," I replied.

"What kind of mission?" She asked urgently.

I rolled my eyes while crossing my arms over my chest, "While Spyre was the Kazekage he sent me here to find the Green Ruby Necklace. Naruto said you know where to find it."

Hokage Tsunade's eyes hardened with understanding as she stood up, "Go back home. There is no such thing as a green ruby. Gaara has been attacked three times since you left."

I growled and ran out of her office.

I knew it. He had been planning all along. As soon as he found out he would be Kazekage, he had been planning it. No doubt, he had sent the plans to ninja in distant villages so they wouldn't know his part of the test was over and they would attack Gaara anyway.

While I was running, Naruto appeared next to me.

"I'm going with you!" He declared.

I knew my fangs were showing because Naruto's eyes widened slightly. "You better hold on then."

I grabbed his arm and shot into the sky. Naruto screamed as I somehow managed to fly. I would worry about the technicalities later. I had to get to Suna.

Before the day was over, we were in the gates of Suna. The village…was nearly destroyed. With a massive whirlwind all the sand cleared up and went out to the desert. Gaara could get it later.

I was out for blood.

"Naruto," I barked, "Go find Gaara now. Don't leave his side, I don't care what he says."

"What are you going to do?" Naruto asked.

"Kill my brother for starting this mess," I snarled.

I remained open for attack as I tread the village. It was unnaturally silent. Not even people in the houses were making a noise. What the hell had happened while I was gone?

I heard footsteps and I stopped. My attention was solely on Gaara as he approached me.

"Congratulations Rox. You have earned the honor of becoming my apprentice," he told me.

I snarled at him and attacked. He jumped back in surprise. Every attack I tried to land, he blocked with a kunai. I finally slammed him to the ground, "Show yourself before I end you!" I yelled.

It was Kankuro. "So you heard about Spyre trying to kill Gaara, huh? He's in the prison."

I got off Kankuro and walked to the prison. Then I had no control of myself. I was forced to turn around and look at Kankuro.

"Don't," Kankuro said. "It will get you in trouble."

"I don't care!" I yelled. "I can't just let this slide, Kankuro!"

"Then deal with it when he gets out," Kankuro said.

"He's getting away with it?" I asked quietly.

"He was the Kazekage at the time," Kankuro told me. "He could do it."

I wasn't sure what happened to me. A light breeze began to wrap around me and it progressively began to get stronger. Then there was darkness. I realized the darkness was sand. I could tell by the smell.

"Roxanne," Gaara's stern voice said from outside the sand ball I was wrapped in. "Stop."

The wind immediately stopped. The tears wouldn't though.

I…had failed. As a friend. As a ninja.

I fell to my hands and knees while the overwhelming guilt took me. Since Gaara had become Kazekage, I had done everything in my power to protect him. Even when the Akatsuki attacked, I took that damned bird head on. The burns I had were worth it, but Gaara's death wasn't. I didn't sleep for days.

"Roxy?" Naruto asked quietly. "Roxy, it's alright."

I dug my fingers into the hardened sand, clutching it tight as I stared at the ground, "It's not alright, Naruto," I told him. "It's not alright," I repeated quietly. "I should have been here. I shouldn't have gone. Not when I knew…Not when I could have prevented it."

"Get up," Gaara's harsh voice demanded.

I looked over my shoulder at him and stood up. As soon as I was on my feet, he punched me straight back down.

"Get up," he demanded again.

We did this for hours. Naruto, Kankuro, and Temari just watched as Gaara punched me then commanded me to get up. As the sun started to set, they walked away. Gaara continued. It wasn't until probably three in the morning that I blocked an attack.

Gaara continued punching at me while I continued blocking. Somewhere near dawn it had turned into an all out brawl between the two of us. That lasted a few hours before he knocked me down.

"Stop," he demanded.

I stared up at him as he hovered over me. His cold eyes softened slightly. "Rox, you can't be my guardian. Just my apprentice. There is a difference."

I glared at him then looked away, "Then you can forget having me as an apprentice. I won't do it."

"You have a day to drop out. The villagers have to choose you, your brother, or Umi."

Spyre and Umi were not ideal choices for the villagers. Umi was weak minded and would give into any argument presented to her. I had no choice but to stay in.

I stood up and walked away from him. I knew it hurt him, but he knew it hurt me as well. If anything it destroyed me on the inside. But I had to figure out how I flew from Konoha to Suna.

It was the strangest thing ever.

When I got outside the village, I floated above the village and started walking around, taking careful steps. It didn't take much chakra, just a lot of concentration. As the hours passed, I was able to walk freely around on the air. The trick would be getting myself to move.

I sighed as I continued to practice. Soon, I was walking around the village, getting a nice aerial view. It was strange to stand. I knew I would be running soon. Then I could move on to possibly flying. But…if I got the apprenticeship, would I have the time?

That would be a problem.

Mastering flying was a priority in my life. Something no one else had ever mastered. Something I could almost taste I was so close to achieving.

And I had less than 24 hours to consider dropping out of this.

The fate of the village rested in my hands.

I could allow the fight be between Spyre and Umi. Or I could stay in the battle. I wondered if Spyre's attempt on Gaara's life was put into consideration. After all, he was in jail for it.

Then again, I was also a candidate. If I stayed, Umi would be the favorable choice of the three of us. That would be if our names were listed with the information given. They would need to know my information.

I laid back, wondering what my information was. How had I done over all the tests? I wondered how we were graded. Obviously the tests were for something else other than Gaara's nasty tricks. Why else had he rigged the one in Konoha?

I knew he had rigged the Kazekage one as well. How…I wasn't sure.

I sighed as I stared at the cloudless sky.

"When was the last time you saw your house?" Gaara asked as he stood on a pile of sand.

"Does it really matter?" I asked him, but not looking at him. "They…she doesn't want me there anyway. While I'm putting my life on the line for you, she's thinking of ways to end it."

"Naruto said you flew here," he said. "You've mastered it."

"No," I replied. "I couldn't fly again if I tried. I don't know how I managed to then. I had to get back and I managed to make myself fly. I just can't figure out how."

"Now that the tests are over, can I ask you something?" I asked while sitting up and looking at him.

"Depends," he replied.

"You rigged all of the tests," I told him. The small smirk of me being right appeared on his lips. "How'd you rig the Kazekage for a day one?"

"Everyone had the choice to wage war with the Leaf Village," he replied. "Their responses and how they considered the issue were how we tested you, primarily. Also, I had to go through the rest of the paperwork and figure out what was going on to make sure nothing too terrible was about to happen to the village."

I smiled slightly as I laid back and stared at the sky.

"I got to rest easy the night you were Kazekage," he told me. "I could hear you screaming at the Council. I knew you hadn't messed up the paperwork. Though, I was surprised you had called me into the meeting."

I gave him a confused look, "Why?"

"Considering how someone feels before considering power is not the way to decide something," Gaara informed me.

"You're still the Kazekage," I reminded him. "Even though I was Kazekage for a day, I had to consider that. It still mattered. In a way, I was informing you of what was going on while you were being left out. If you wanted to start a war when you got back, by all means start it. I would fight for you. If you had been a citizen, I would have informed you of the importance and urgency of the matter and then let them decide then if they disagreed found someone else until we found someone that did."

"Wisdom," Gaara muttered. "A rare trait to accompany consideration and kindness."


	10. Results

I was up before dawn and standing above the village while the ninja ran around Suna like ants that had just had their home destroyed. My heart was pounding. I had decided to stay in the game, for Gaara's sake.

Why?

I wasn't certain. But I was scared to lose. I did not want to lose to Spyre. The villagers had been given all day to decide. I didn't know my results or Spyre's or Umi's. So, it really was anonymous.

I wondered what the people were thinking. Were they happy about the remaining three? Were they disappointed? I wasn't thrilled with the remaining three. I could have picked better applicants.

I wondered if they were ever applicants. Gaara had obviously wanted the best of the best. That didn't mean he got them. Spyre had tried to kill him.

I sighed as I rested above the village for a few moments longer then went down and walked around. It was strange how merely being around the people, having them watch me as I walked by, simply unnerved me.

A villager actually stopped me and showed me the results. I stared at the paper for a moment. It was a bar graph with each applicant left labeled as A, B, and C. Applicant A had a the highest score from the first test, a mediocre score from the second test, a lower score from the third test and a mediocre score for the fourth test.

Applicant B had a high score for the first test, a high score for the second test, the highest score for the third test and the highest score for the fourth test.

Applicant C had a low score for the first test, a decent score for the second test, a high score for the third test and a low score for the third test.

But it was the black bar behind the colorful bars that bothered me. Behind applicant A was a high bar. Behind Applicant B was a low bar. Behind Applicant C was a midrange bar.

I had no idea what any of that meant.

I sighed and shook my head, "I don't know anything."

I put my hands in my pockets and walked on. Since I didn't know how they were graded, any of them could have been me. And I hated not knowing. I mentally cursed Gaara and his cleverness to aggravate me.

Why was he so annoying?!


	11. The New Apprentice

It had been a week. We should know by now who the apprentice was, right? I mean…a week was long enough.

I was worried I had lost. I had lost my spark of trying to even attempt of flying. Hell, I couldn't even float. If Gaara wanted to tame the wind…he had succeeded.

"You seem down," Kankuro said as he walked up to me. "There hasn't been a good breeze in this village all week. What's up with that?"

"The apprenticeship has gotten to me," I admitted. "I guess I wanted it more than I thought."

I did some hand signs and no wind came up.

"Nothing," I told him. "I can't even float."

That was news to Kankuro. "You…You haven't heard the results?"

I shook my head, "No. Spyre hasn't either, that I'm aware of."

He pulled me into a head lock and started rubbing his fist into my head. I tried to get out of it while he laughed at my feeble attempt.

"Idiot, who do you think won?" He asked me when he finally let go.

I just sighed, "I don't know. A villager showed me the charts and I couldn't understand it. It didn't make sense to me."

Kankuro put his finger on my forehead, "You're so dense sometimes. Gaara's been waiting for you for the past two days. We just figured you were too shocked to accept it. Spyre and Umi didn't even come close."

I blinked, letting what he said slowly register. After a moment, my eyes turned to the Kazekage's tower as wind began to spin around me, "I'm killing him."

Kankuro laughed as I ran off toward the tower. When I got to the tower, I stormed into Gaara's office, not caring about manners anymore. Hell, I was the apprentice. I could do whatever the hell I wanted now.

Gaara looked up from his paperwork, his gaze landing on me. "You're over the shock, I see," he said.

"Shock, my ass," I told him as I slammed the door behind me. "Why the hell didn't you send someone or come get me? A formal announcement would have been nice. I have been freaking out because it has been a week since I last heard from you."

Gaara just stared at me, slightly shocked I had gone off. "Is this how you're going to act every day?"

"It might be," I told him as I crossed my arms over my chest and sat on the air. "I don't see why I need to take lessons from you, though."

"You're not taking lessons," he corrected me. "You're helping me. You'll be making decisions along with me and helping me decide what's best for the village. I would have had to train the other two, but I believe I can trust you to help decide things for the village. We'll start with easy things and work you up to harder decisions. I don't want you stressing out over anything. Feel free to live here at the Kazekage Tower or at your own home. But for now, you'll be sorting missions. I have more important things to worry about."

"Like what?" I asked as I took the stack of papers from the desk and began sorting through them.

"Your brother may have been the one that told the Akatsuki about Shukaku."

"It wasn't a secret," I reminded him. "It was revealed at the Chunin Exams."

"That may be," he said. "But he may have confirmed the Akatsuki's suspicions. Which is a problem. Are you aware if he knew any of them?"

"No, but I can find out," I told him.

He looked at me, "And how would you do that?"

"Let's say a certain Uchiha owes me a favor. I'll tell Itachi to meet up with me soon and see how they came across the information."

Gaara gave me a look, "Rox-"

"Just trust me on this," I said. "Itachi owes me. He's not going to go back on that."

"How do you know him?" Gaara asked.

"It was at the Chunin Exams. I didn't realize he wasn't more than a spectator. But, I did save his life. He gave me a piece of paper with the Akatsuki symbol on it. Said to send it his way when I needed help. I guess this is a good time to use it."


	12. Akatsuki Alliance

Within the next week, I had the infamous Akatsuki member standing outside Suna, waiting to meet me. Neither of us spoke as we walked farther from Suna. It was midnight and we didn't want anyone overhearing or following us. I hadn't even told Gaara about my official date of meeting him.

"What's this about?" Itachi asked. "I didn't expect you to actually ask for a favor."

"I'm the Kazekage's apprentice," I told him. "And before you try to kill me, don't go there. We both know I'm not turning you in. I'm looking for information."

Itachi's red eyes narrowed slightly, "What kind of information would I have that would possibly interest you?"

I handed him a picture of my brother. "Pass this around to the other members. See if they remember him or know him from somewhere. We think he's the one that passed on knowledge about Shukaku to you. If he's a traitor to the village-"

"This is your brother," Itachi said. "You're going to have him killed over what the Akatsuki did?"

"The loyalty to my village is greater than my loyalty to my family."

There was the faintest smirk on his face as he handed me a piece of paper, "Whenever you're ready to join, just let me know. The Akatsuki could always use someone like you."

"Just hold up your end of the deal," I told him as I put the piece of paper in my pocket.

He disappeared. I went back to the village, pulling out the piece of paper to see if I remembered anything similar to it in the many times I had raided Spyre's room. Then again, would it be the same? I doubted it.

The strange design didn't ring any bells, so I put it back and floated over the gates of Suna to walk the streets. As I floated, I saw Gaara standing on top of the Kazekage Tower. I floated down to him and stood next to him.

"What are you doing out?" Gaara asked.

"Felt like watching the stars," I said. "What are you doing?"

"Couldn't sleep."

That had been his excuse lately.

"Something on your mind?"

"Yes," he admitted. "I found this today."

He handed me a piece of paper. It had the same design as the one Itachi had just given me.

"Who gave it to you?" I asked.

"I don't know," he replied. "I don't know what it means. But I don't have a good feeling about it."

"Promise not to be too mad?" I asked with a smile.

He sighed as he looked at me, "What did you do?"

"I just got back from talking with Itachi," I told him. I pulled the paper from my pocket and handed it to him, "He told me to let him know when I wanted to join the Akatsuki just to let him know and he gave me that. But there's a difference. Right there," I pointed at the slight slant that was different between the two. "Itachi didn't recommend whoever it was."

"What did you tell Itachi?" Gaara asked.

"I gave him a picture of Spyre and told him to ask around the group if anyone knew him and to come back with the names of who did to confirm that he was talking to someone with people in the Akatsuki about Shukaku."

Gaara nodded, his thoughtful gaze overlooking Suna, "I just hope we're not playing with fire."

"I'm stronger than a lot of the Akatsuki," I told him. "I was the only one from the Sand Village that became a Chunin, remember?"

"Are you going to become a Jounin?" Gaara asked curiously. "It's almost time to register."

"Would you like me to?" I asked. "I mean, if you want me to, I will. Traveling with a Chunin apprentice can't look too good for a Kazekage, I guess. Hell, why not go all the way? Might as well join the ANBU as well."

Gaara's eyes widened, "I don't think you need to go that far."

I smiled, "I was just kidding. But, I'll register for the Jounin thing. How stupid. I just got done with your lame thing that you rigged. Now I've got to go through another test or whatever."

"I could just appoint you," Gaara told me.

I raised an eyebrow, "Really?"

He gave a short nod, "You've certainly done more than enough to qualify. Though, you won't be able to do any Jounin missions for a while."

"Nonsense," I said with a smile. "I'll be protecting you. That's like an A-rank mission at all times."

He allowed a smile to grace his lips. It was those smiles that made the apprenticeship worth fighting for. The rare ones that only I got to see on occasion on nights like this when we just talked. It was nice to have them again.

I smiled to myself as I fell back on the air and stared at the sky. There was no moon that night so the stars were glowing extra bright in our lightless city.

"Gaara?"

"Hm?"

I looked at him and reached to him, "Ever wanted to walk on air?"

He stared at me for a moment, contemplating for a moment. After a moment, he reached to me and took my hand. There was a gentle breeze that lifted him up allowing him to stand above the ground, swirling steadily under his feet.

"You've almost mastered it," he commented. "This…this is impressive, Rox."

I stared at the stars, "When Lady Tsunade said three people had tried to kill you, I snatched up Naruto and actually flew here. I haven't been able to do it since."

Gaara skeptically laid down on the air and stared at the sky with me. "You can't figure it out?"

"Well, I've figured out how to walk on the air," I said. "I figured it should be similar, but it's not. There's got to be a way to push the wind around me. I just can't figure it out."

"You've done things no one else has been able to," he said. "You'll master this."

I sighed, "I don't know if it will be worth it. If I master flying, who am I going to teach?"

"Your children will probably have some form of wind control."

I snorted at the idea. "Me? Have kids? Where the hell did you get that idea?"

"Kankuro is fond of you," Gaara said. "That's not a secret."

I sighed, "Guess not. But that doesn't mean I'm particularly fond of him." I looked at the Kazekage, "What about you? Surely you've found someone now."

"No," he said. "The dates Kankuro and Temari have set me up on have always ended terribly."

"Hooray fame," I said sarcastically. "When do you have time to date?"

He looked at me, "I'll have plenty now."

I stuck my tongue out at him. "Don't make me drop you."

"And what good would that do? I'll land in sand."

"The forces of wind are stronger than your sand," I told him as I watched a star fly by.

"Do you remember what we used to wish when we were little?" Gaara asked.

"You wished for someone to love you. I wished to fly as fast as the stars that we wished on." I closed my eyes for a moment as a tear fell. "It seems we both had our wishes granted."

Gaara looked at me, "What do you mean?"

"There are plenty of people that love you, Gaara. And I flew as fast as that star to get here when Spyre had those people try to kill you. Now, we just need new wishes."

I folded my arms behind my head as I watched the stars. Gaara and I were both quiet for a while.

"Why do you think we wished for what we did?" Gaara asked.

"We believed it was impossible. But it was the only thing that could make us happy," I replied.

"Are you happy?" Gaara asked.

"No," I said honestly. "But I'm content with my life."

"Do you believe flying will make you happy?"

"No."

"What would make you happy?"

I looked at him. He looked so serious as if he was trying to find the key to my happiness. I looked back to the sky, "Answers to unanswered questions."

"What questions?"

"I'm not even sure yet." I looked at him, "Gaara, if you wanted me to be the apprentice, why didn't you just ask me? You know I would have stopped everything and been there for you."

"That's the problem," Gaara said. "Your greatest flaw is your loyalty. Your loyalty doesn't need to be to me. It needs to be to the village."

I smiled slightly, "And who do you represent?"

He sighed, "Rox-"

"I understand what you mean, but you know I go both ways, Gaara. Depending on who is in the most danger is who I save. When you were kidnapped, I tried to save you because the village was safe. I fought until I couldn't." I clenched my fists, my anger starting to get to me. "I couldn't save you because I couldn't fly."

I concentrated on the stars so my anger would calm down again.

"You blame yourself," Gaara stated. "You still haven't let that go."

"How am I supposed to?" I asked. "How can I just let go the fact you died?"

"The fact I'm alive should help."

I scoffed, "Because someone else brought you back. I should have been able to save you."

"Don't make me hit you again."

I went quiet as I stared at the stars. I was…acquaintances with the Akatsuki. Allies with all of them. Well, primarily Itachi and he spread the word to back off of me. I believed that was the primary reason I didn't die when they attacked the Sand Village, even though I tried to get Gaara back.

We had one clear rule. Don't kill each other.

So, there was no killing an Akatsuki member no matter what they did. Even though they had killed Gaara.

"You usually try to get revenge," Gaara said quietly. "You never asked to find the Akatsuki."

"Because of Itachi and the…alliance…I have with him, I'm immune to all attacks by the Akatsuki. That also means I cannot attack them. I can't get revenge no matter what they've done. It's just got to blow over and I've got to let it go. But I can tell Itachi to get revenge for me within the group. That's free game. Or if Itachi tells me that a member has left, they're free game. We have a complex system."

Gaara looked at me, "Are you in the Akatsuki?"

"No," I told him. "It's…It's very complex."


	13. Family Tree

I remembered the day I had found out that my emotions unleashed some strange beast within me. Well, changed my appearance. It was the first time I had ever truly flown. I had fangs and claws, but if I was pushed even farther, I had a Sharingan.

Itachi had seen it that one day.

It was at least ten generations ago when my family lived in Konoha. When the first wind master was an Uchiha, a distant cousin of Itachi. By now, we were nowhere near related, but the Sharingan was still in my blood. And in that particular branch of Uchiha blood, only the wind masters could get the Sharingan. I hadn't mastered it, and I had no intention of mastering it.

As I stared at the stars, I wondered if the Sharingan was my answer to flying. If it was, I would have to master it.

"Rox, you need to tell me," Gaara said. "It may be considered treason if you don't."

"The roots of my family come from the Uchiha family. The first wind master was an Uchiha. When I saved Itachi at the Chunin Exams, that weird thing that happens to me, happened along with the Sharingan.He's agreed to help me ever since." I sighed a bit, "We can trust him. I know you don't want to, but we need to for this."


	14. Rules of Dating

A few days went by and there was no news from Itachi. That wasn't exactly surprising. He was probably out on a mission or whatever they did.

When I walked into Gaara's office, I found myself in quite the situation. Sitting rather seductively on his desk was some teal haired woman. She batted her eyelashes as her lavender eyes glistened in the sunlight. Her…kimono, I assumed, was reaching her upper thigh as she crossed her legs.

Gaara was not buying this act at all and I figured it wouldn't be the last time I walked in on something like this. "I have your reports," I announced.

The sugar sweet girl on the desk turned into the devil when she saw me.

"Thank you, Rox," Gaara said. "This is Yuki."

I smiled as I walked up to her and offered her my hand, "Nice to meet you. I'm Gaara's apprentice."

She just looked away from me. I frowned then looked at Gaara, "Well, I stamped most of them for you. They just need your signature."

"Most?" He asked.

"Some of them you need to read." My attention turned back to Yuki, "You can leave, by the way. I have to approve Gaara's girlfriends. And if you aren't going to treat me right, you aren't going to treat me right so you can get your exposed ass right on out of here or it will be escorted out."

Her jaw dropped as she stared at me. "Why do you get to approve Gaara's dates?"

"Only the best for him," I told her. "He didn't choose you anyway. Temari did."

"Actually, it was Kankuro," Gaara said.

I frowned, "You'd think he'd have higher expectations. I was his favorite after all."

I caught Yuki's hand before she slapped me. With ease, I pulled her off the desk and pushed her to the door. "Have a nice day. And I don't want to hear rumors about you being pregnant with his child. The last girl didn't walk for two weeks."

She stormed out.

"I didn't know about that," Gaara said.

"It never happened," I told him. "Never hurts to scare them though."

Gaara rested his head on his hand as he looked at me, "I worry about you."

I walked behind his desk and ran my fingers through his red hair as I looked at his surprisingly chaotic desk. "What happened?" I asked. "Did she rough you up?"

"She tried," he replied. "And I was so surprised I didn't know what to do. I still don't know what to do."

I smiled as I continued to play with his bright red hair. "We'll go out tonight," I told him. "Get totally wasted and see where we wake up."

He gave me a serious look, "No."

I laughed, "But we will go out. My treat, Gaara."

The door opened and Kankuro walked in. "Woah, sorry guys."

I glared at him, "Kankuro, really? Who was that girl? I thought I was your favorite!"

Kankuro just stared at me, "You…want to date Gaara?"

I sighed as I pinched the bridge of my nose, "Kankuro, if you picked me for the Apprenticeship, why would you pick someone like Yuki to date Gaara? Gaara deserves better than that."

"She was just for a fun night," Kankuro said with a sly grin.

Gaara sighed, "No wonder Rox won't date you."

I sniggered as I picked up some papers on his desk and started organizing them. "Go outside, Gaara. You look like you could use some outside."

"I've got a letter for you, Rox," Kankuro said. "Doesn't say who it's from. Just that it's urgent."

I took it from him and opened it. I sighed as I read the simple letter.

_Same place.__ Same time._

I was beginning to question this alliance with Itachi.

"Do you want me to come?" Gaara asked when he glanced at it.

"You can if you want," I said. "I'd prefer you not."

Kankuro took the note from me and grinned, "Got yourself a hot date?"

"If that's what you want to call him," I muttered. "Let's call him a friend with information."

Kankuro glared at Gaara and me. "I hate not knowing stuff! And you two working together just pisses me off more. This," he gestured to us, "won't work."


	15. Can't Replace a Friend

That night, I wandered out of the village. I guess I shouldn't have been surprised that Itachi didn't come alone. He came with a shark man. I had no idea who this shark man was, and I didn't really care to know, but if the shark man had information, he was welcome to stay.

"I have the information you want, if you're willing to give over some information of your own," Itachi said.

Of course.

I took the scroll from him and read over it.

"Sound village," I said quietly. "Orochimaru?"

The shark man smiled nastily, showing all his pointed teeth, "He's fallen off the radar. And yes, it was your brother that brought us to your Kazekage."

"Bringing Deidara and Sasori was too much of a risk, but they handed over the letters they received from him. Sasori of the Red Sands is the grandson of Chiyo, but I'm certain you're well aware of that," Itachi said.

As I read the letters, my fingernails began to grow.

"Itachi, you said-"

"She isn't going to attack us," Itachi said. "The Sand Village is the one in danger now."

"Where was Orochimaru last seen?" I asked as I looked at the two.

From the smirk on Itachi's face, I knew my Sharingan had activated.

"Walking through the Land of Fire, but not headed to Konoha," Itachi said. "If you see him, don't kill him. The Leader wants him alive."

I walked back into the village, a light wind swirling around me. My nails were piercing into my palm, and there was nothing more I could do. I was slowly losing myself. If I didn't catch it…I would be gone.

"How'd it go?" Gaara asked as he stepped out of the shadows.

I handed him the letters and walked away only to have sand stop me.

"Calm down," he told me. "If you keep walking around, you'll go insane."

I knew he was right.

I sighed as I looked up at the start of a new moon cycle. The looming crescent moon was nice to see. It didn't smother my anger but it did calm it a bit.

"Spyre will have to be arrested," Gaara said. "What did you have to give for this?"

I handed him the scroll, "They're looking for Orochimaru. They didn't give a specific reason, just that the Leader wanted him alive. He was last seen in the Land of Fire but not headed to Konoha."

I watched as he read over it. "I see."

My attention went back to the moon.

"It's been a while since I've seen a Sharingan," Gaara admitted. "Since I fought the Uchiha. I barely remember the fight, but I won't forget his eyes. Yours is different."

"Because I already have the Mangekyo Sharingan," I told him. "Something that can't be gained without going through something traumatic." I glanced at Gaara as I rubbed my arm, "Itachi killed his entire family, except Sasuke."

"What did you do?" Gaara asked.

"I didn't do it," I told him. I smiled at him, "You gave me the ability to fly." I stared at the ground as guilt took my heart. "You just had to die for me to realize it."

"It gave you the ability to fly. There's an upside to it."

"There was no upside to it. Do you know why it only shows when I'm angry?" I asked him. "And why I won't master the Sharingan?"

He looked at me. "If your dream is to fly, you should do whatever it takes."

I pointed at the shooting star in the distance, "I wished to fly as fast as the stars, Gaara. If I master the Sharingan, I'll go blind. How will I know if the stars have gotten faster if I can't see them?"

He sighed, "You're so simple. But that's where your wisdom originates."

I stared thoughtfully at the crescent moon, "What about it, Gaara?"

"What about what?"

"We go on a date."

"That's absurd, Rox," he said. "You're my apprentice now. We can't go on dates."

I shrugged, "Ok."

"Is that why you wanted the apprenticeship?" He asked quietly, as though he was afraid of the answer.

"Nope. I don't want to date you either," I told him. "Just figured you'd like to go on a date that ended almost normally."

He had a small smile, "Thank you for your consideration. Maybe I will accept that date."

"How formal of a date do you want it to be?" I asked him.

"Normally Kankuro and Temari have it planned. So, what do you want to do?"

I laughed slightly, "You plan it. Let's see what you can come up with. You've got all week and you can't ask for my advice. Anyone else is free game." I gently squeezed his shoulder, "Good luck."

I chuckled as I walked away from him. I had just given the Kazekage an impossible mission.

When I arrived to the office in the morning, everyone was in chaos. I walked into Gaara's office, "What's up?"

"Spyre's gone," he replied.

I nodded with a sigh, "Well. I'll check the house and see what he left for me to find. See if I can tell you where he's going."

Gaara looked at me, "You can do that?"

"He didn't try put seven complaints against me for no reason. He wanted me to suffer. He wanted my record damaged. He wanted to brag. He'll tell me where he's gone, somehow. He's got to rub it in my face he's somewhere better than here."

"We found this outside the village," Baki said.

I looked at the headband. It had a strike through it and it was covered in blood. I looked at him, "This is my father's, isn't it?"

He nodded, "I'm sorry."

"What does it mean?" Gaara asked.

"He's looking to join the Akatsuki," I told him. "Whether they'll let him or not is debatable. They may kill him before they let him join. But, the Sharingan is useful. Though, I doubt he'll have it. It's only been in the wind masters of our family. He isn't a wind master."

"Has there ever been anyone that has had it that wasn't a wind master?" Gaara asked.

"No," I said.

My eyes widened. "Unless…"

"Unless what?" Gaara asked.

"Search for every mission Spyre has ever been on," I commanded. "I want a list now."

"That's a long list," Baki said.

"I don't care. Do you realize how many he's slept with? How many children he could have? How many could have the Sharingan? There is a way to transplant the Sharingan. All he needs is that child."

"Why not take yours?" Gaara asked.

"When a child is born with it, it shows after birth and for the first year of their life. That should narrow it down. Past year. He must know one of them have it. Send a team of Jounin to each village he's been to in the past year. We need to find him before he finds the child."

With that, everyone dispersed from the office, leaving Gaara and me alone.

"You aren't going?" Gaara asked.

"No," I told him. "I have three priorities. My first is the village, because that's what you want to hear. My second is you. My third is being your apprentice. I have to stay to help you."

"What's the actual order?"

"There is no order," I told him. "I have one priority. That's keeping you safe."

He sighed, "Do I need to remind you-"

"That the village comes first?" I finished. "No. But the village isn't in danger. You are."

"How can you be sure? He might attack the village."

"The Akatsuki have no reason to attack again. We're worthless to them. And they can't attack me because Itachi won't allow it. If they attack me, they're fair game." I lifted my hand as my nails grew slightly, "And they would not appreciate that."

Gaara lowered my hand, "If you lose control in my office, I'll have to kill you myself. I don't want to go through the apprentice thing again."

I looked back at him, "So how's the date thing going?"

"Terrible," he said. "I have no idea what to do and Kankuro and Temari aren't helping."

"Did you tell them it was with me?" I asked.

"No," he said. "Temari has been trying to get me on a date with you for a few months now."

I nodded as I picked up some papers and looked through them. "Someone else can assign missions today. Until further notice, you're stuck with me."

"You're taking it too far," he said.

I slammed my hands on his desk which surprised him as he stared up at me, his eyes widening as he stared into my Sharingan.

"Too far was when I let you die, Gaara. Because I couldn't fly. Because I wasn't able to control this thing in my eyes. Because I wasn't able to master it. I couldn't save you, Gaara."

Tears landed heavily on the papers under me as I rested my head on my arms, "I should have been stronger."

A gentle touch ran over the back of my head. It was the touch of forgiveness.

"Come," Gaara said gently. "Let's go for a walk."

I followed him out of the office. Knowing me, I would have more mental breakdowns during our walk. Better to walk with him and get it over with.

As we walked through the hot village, Gaara didn't speak. He usually had something to say.

"I want to know the real reason you blame yourself. I know it's not because you think you're too weak or because of your alliance with the Akatsuki. What is the real reason?"

"You were gone," I told him. "I had lost you. I felt like I had lost the world."

Gaara didn't respond as we continued walking. I guessed there was nothing really to say after hearing that.

"Lost the world," Gaara said. "What would have happened if you had lost the village?"

"I can rebuild a village," I told him. "I can't replace a friend."

He stopped walking as he stared thoughtfully at me. I pulled him into a tight embrace as tears fell, "That is why you are my top priority," I whispered, trying not to let my voice crack. "We can always start over if we have a Kazekage. A village can be built again. But you cannot."

I buried my face in his neck as the tears continued to fall.

He gently rubbed my back, "You are a friend that will never be replaced and a ninja that will never be forgotten in Suna."

I smiled slightly as a blush took my cheeks. Gaara pushed me back, a look of concern on his face, "Are you ok? You're burning up."

I nodded, "Just the sun."

That was weird. Blushing around Gaara. Blushing at all.

He nodded and we continued our walk, getting some looks from the villagers and whispers that would start rumors around the village. As a gentle breeze swirled around to make the day more comfortable, I kept a light smile on my face.

I didn't know why it was there. It was nice…this peace I felt…even though Spyre was still a concern.

"You don't seem worried about Spyre," Gaara said as we walked.

"Our best are out looking for him," I said. "I don't have to worry about him until he comes here. Or until you send me for him."

He nodded. "It will be a lot of paperwork when he is captured."

"If he's captured," I replied. "If he joins the Akatsuki, it's out of my hands. He can be captured, but not by me. I can't help at all."

Before long, we found ourselves standing on top of the Kazekage tower. Some days, Gaara needed a lazy day. He seemed ok with having a lazy day. With the graduates coming out of the Academy, there really wasn't much for us to do. Other than worry about Spyre.

I sighed. I would need to go to the Akatsuki soon and see if he was there or had joined. Or find someone that would know.

My eyes widened for a moment. "There is a way."

Gaara looked at me, "What are you talking about?"

"Your sand," I said. "It probably still has that explosive clay in it. With my Sharingan I'll be able to create the weird clay birds he made and be able to send a letter to the Akatsuki and ask if Spyre is there."

Gaara just stared at me, "You haven't mastered the Sharingan."

"It's a good time to start," I said.

I sat down and let the wind swirl around me. I could feel my nails growing as my chakra intensified within my eyes. My fangs were growing as well. With some hand signs, I had Gaara's sand coming out of his gourd and with a few more, I had a clay bird in my hand.

I smiled wickedly. There was a way to warn Itachi of the coming danger and a way to stop Spyre.

With a nice bang.


	16. Deadly Promise

There was a slight scare in the Akatsuki hide out when the clay bird landed in between Itachi and Kisame.

A smirk formed on the Uchiha's lips as he picked up the bird.

"What the hell are you doing?" His shark-like partner asked. "Deidara could blow us both to hell."

"This isn't Deidara's bird," Itachi said as he took the note from the clay bird. "It was merely a messenger from the girl we saw in Suna. Either she knows something or something has happened and she's sent us a warning."

When he released the clay bird, it flew away and they heard it blow up outside the hideout a good distance away.

"Deidara should take lessons from her," Kisame said. "That was bigger than anything he's ever done."

"She's part of the Uchiha clan," Itachi said as he unrolled the small note. "Power is all she has."

His eyebrows furrowed in displeasure, "Spyre betrayed Suna."

"He's coming to join us?" Kisame asked. "Hidan will be pleased."

"There is a reason why we can attack Spyre but can't attack Roxanne," Itachi said. "Roxanne has the Sharingan. That particular line of Uchiha she is from, the Sharingan can only be mastered by the wind masters. Spyre has been bouncing around from mission to mission, sleeping with whatever woman he can get in order to produce the next wind master. That child will have the Sharingan. He plans to take its eyes."

"What does that have to do with us?"

"They're searching for him. If he joins us, she can't touch him." Itachi smiled evilly, "And that is a fight worth watching to the death. She needs that power. She would be a valuable asset to us."

… … … …

As the days went by, there was still no news on Spyre. We could be too late. I never left Gaara's side. Even at night, I slept in the same room. I guarded the door when he took showers. It aggravated him, but I didn't care.

I was not going to lose him. Not again…could I?

I was surprised he actually kept the date. Apparently, he had the night filled with exciting things to do. He didn't sound excited about it, but he said I was going to enjoy it.

That narrowed it down.

I enjoyed everything I did with Gaara. Even arguing with him and how annoyed he got with me. I enjoyed walking with him in the middle of the night and watching the stars. I enjoyed sorting through the large amounts of paperwork, deciding what he wanted to do. As long as I was with him I was happy.

Temari walked into my room with a knowing smirk on her face. "You are so predictable," she told me.

I raised an eyebrow as I continued brushing my hair, "What are you talking about?"

"Kankuro and I worked hard on this, so you need to look nice!" She said. "Let's see what sort of outfits we've got in here."

I watched as she went through my closet, searching for something nicer for me to wear.

Her face lit up as she pulled out something I hadn't seen in a while, "Didn't know you even owned this."

It was a very formal looking sapphire kimono with a pink sash decorated in white petals.

"I wore it to the party you threw after Gaara became Kazekage," I told her. "You said the same thing then."

"Did Gaara see you?" She asked.

"I didn't get a chance to talk to him, if that's what you mean. I don't know if he saw me."

"Perfect! Put this on! We'll do your hair in a minute."

"What's wrong with my hair?" I asked as I walked into the bathroom to change into the kimono.

"We're doing something different."

"Whatever," I grumbled as I put the kimono on and walked out.

Almost immediately, she attacked my head. By the time she was done, it was braided and tied back. It was actually really nice looking. My white hair was braided around my head, like a headband and the rest was pulled back into a messy bun. I liked it.

Then she attacked my face. Hooray makeup. I don't even know what she did to my face, but it looked ok. I just wasn't used to makeup.

And she painted my nails. What was up with her?!

Finally, I was done. Thank God.

She giggled as she left the room. I heard her yell, "She's all yours now!"

I sighed as I face palmed. God, what had we done?

After a moment, the door opened and Kankuro walked in. He stood there, completely stunned. "Wow," he said quietly. "You…you look like a woman. This…this is completely different."

"Where do I go?" I asked.

"Oh, Gaara's going to come get you. I just wanted to see you first so I can get him prepared. But…I don't think I can."

I glared at him, "Thanks Kankuro. Just tell him to forget it. It's not worth the attention."

Kankuro frowned, "Rox, don't be like that. We've been looking forward to this all week. You and Gaara are going to have tons of fun."

I rolled my eyes, "Whatever."

He smiled.

"Am I interrupting something?" Gaara asked from the door.

I looked at him. He was dressed in his Kazekage garb and didn't have his gourd.

Kankuro laughed slightly as he stepped out of the way allowing Gaara to see me completely. "Here's your beautiful date tonight. I'm pretty envious, can't lie about that."

The slight change of facial expression showed the shock on Gaara's face. His jaw had dropped a bit and his eyes had widened slightly.

Kankuro laughed as he walked toward the door, clasping Gaara on the shoulder, "Just remember everything I told you. It'll be perfect." With a last look at me, Kankuro smirked, "What I wouldn't do to be you right now. Man, you're lucky."

He left us alone, closing the door behind him.

"I…didn't expect…this," Gaara said.

"I didn't either," I muttered. "You can thank Temari. So, what's the plan?"

He sighed, not looking at all excited about it, "Let's go."

We left the Kazekage Tower and wandered through the town. I was surprised when he took my hand, holding it gently in his. I could see how uncomfortable he was.

"What are you doing?" I asked.

"What Kankuro said," he told me.

I let go of his hand and linked my arm with his, "Better?"

He glanced at me, a ghost of a smile on his lips. "It's frightening how well you know me."

I chuckled slightly, "I don't know what your dating preferences are, but I know what you're comfortable doing with me. Kankuro said it was going to be a lot of fun tonight. Is it?"

"He just gave me addresses," Gaara said. "I don't really know what we're doing."

That was annoying.

Gaara suddenly stopped and sighed. "We're here," he stated.

I looked at the large restaurant. It was the best in Suna. Gaara hated this place. It gave him food poisoning for two weeks. Kankuro and Temari knew that. I knew it because I had to take care of him. This was right after the Chunin Exams and he finally let me in as a friend.

"Why are we here?" I asked.

"This is where we're supposed to be," he said.

"Then let's go somewhere else," I told him.

He looked at me a bit surprised. I had always wanted to go there.

"But-"

"I don't want to eat here," I told him.

He closed his mouth, his eyes telling me he didn't believe me.

"Ok, I do," I said, giving into the stare, "But not tonight. I'll come another day."

"And wait for…hours?" Gaara asked as he looked at the line.

"I might be Kazekage one day," I said. "I'll go then. But, until then, you pick somewhere else."

I scrunched my nose up as I looked at the restaurant. "I really don't want to take care of you for two weeks because of food poisoning again."

"You said you were fine with it," he said as we walked through the village to somewhere else.

"I was," I told him. "But two weeks? I mean…that's a long time. I'm sure you don't want to be on death's door because of a stomach bug. I can't exactly protect you from that."

We continued walking toward a part of Suna I had never explored before. I moved closer to him as we walked, my nerves standing on end. I hated discovering new places at night.

"Here," Gaara said as we stopped in front of a small restaurant called Oasis Grill.

We walked inside and it definitely lived up to its name. Though it was small, it was like Konoha had moved into the place. There were small rock fountains covered in moss decorating the place and bamboo plants everywhere. It was…refreshing.

"Lord Kazekage," an old man greeted. "Welcome back. Would you like your usual table?"

Gaara gave a quiet nod with a ghost of a smile.

The old man took notice of me and grinned, "Hello young lady. Is she with you, Lord Kazekage?"

"Yes," Gaara answered.

The man placed us in front of a grill, but next to a fountain. I smiled as I looked at the fish swimming around.

"Wow," I said quietly, "This place is amazing."

He nodded as his eyes drifted around the restaurant until they finally landed on me, "Why did you let me decide?"

"So you can get used to deciding the dates," I told him. "Kankuro and Temari aren't very good at deciding the dates, are they?"

"Usually the girls are very nice, but they've only been interested that I'm Kazekage," he said. "They have no desire in me as a person." He glanced at me, "As standard rule, there will be three more dates after this."

I raised an eyebrow, "I didn't agree to that. Besides, I asked you out. Why do you get to decide when we see each other again? You don't even want us to date."

"It would be nice to have someone to compare the others to," he said. "And…someone to help me better understand what 'dating' really is rather than just letting Temari and Kankuro plan it."

I nodded understanding what he meant. "Ok, we'll work on it. Then tonight was just a date, and I get four more. The next four will be your practice dates and I'll coach you through them."

He sighed, "Very well."

I smiled at him as he ordered for the both of us.

"I do not intend on bringing my future dates here," he said. "No one else knows about this place other than you."

I shrugged, "That's fine. You don't have to tell your life story on any date. Or ever, really. Dates are just about getting to know each other. If she spills her entire life about herself on the first night, don't take the second. But, that'll come on the dating advice nights. For now, we're on a date. Let's see what you got. Or what Kankuro taught you."

Gaara sipped his tea, "I'm not comfortable with what Kankuro or Temari told me to try specifically with you or with any girl."

"Then do whatever you think seems right. If it's weird, I'll let you know."

We got some grilled beef and vegetables over rice which was fantastic and we left. He linked his arm with mine and we started walking again.

"Where to now?" I asked.

"To see what they had planned for us next," he said. "See if that was interesting."

It actually was interesting. A tour of Suna's night gardens. Specific flowers that only bloomed at night in a certain season under a certain moon.

I smiled slightly as I looked at all the different flowers. They would be gone. The little glow bugs they attracted were migrating to the Land of Fire, but had stopped here for this night and for a few more nights before heading on.

"They did something right," Gaara said quietly as he walked with me, admiring the beauty the garden had to offer.

I grinned as I jumped away from him and offered him my hand, "I bet it looks better from the sky."

Gaara took my hand and we were floating above the garden watching the glow bugs and flowers. I smiled as I watched them. "This could rival the stars," I told Gaara.

The flowers looked like a sea of mixed colors, purples, pinks, blues, and white. They were all lit by the faint moon's glow. But they would glow orange when a glow bug would light them. It was a beautiful sight.

"We still have something else to do," Gaara told me.

I frowned, "I don't wanna do it." I looked at the garden, "I'm happy here."

He sighed, "C'mon. We'll come back if you don't like it."

I sighed as I let our feet touch the ground and we walked to the next place.

We were…at the fountain in the middle of Suna.

"Why are we here?" I asked Gaara.

"I don't really know," he responded as he looked around.

"Ruin the garden for a stupid fountain," I grumbled. "Should have stayed there."

Gaara didn't look at me, "I need to talk to you."

He sat down on the fountain's edge and I sat next to him. "About?"

"You being the apprentice," he said. "I think…you're ready."

He wasn't looking at me.

"You're lying," I told him. "What's going on, Gaara?"

"I'm stepping down. It's time for you to step up," he said as he looked at me.

I stood up and took a few steps back, "N-No," I told him. "I…No."

"You don't really have a say in the matter," he told me.

"Why?" I asked quietly.

I couldn't form the rest of the sentence or even remember how to say the rest of the words.

"It's safer for Suna," he said. "Your brother is putting Suna at risk. He will attack and you aren't ready for it. You haven't slept in days. You're not eating as much as you used to. You need to be ready for when he attacks. So, I'm stepping down so you can step up and take responsibility."

I just stared at the ground. I could feel the burning of tears falling, but I couldn't really feel anything else.

Someone grasped my shoulder, "Kankuro was right. I was lucky."

"And you're right," I said icily.

The pain in my chest was enough to kill me as I looked up at him. He seemed a bit startled when he stared back at the Sharingan that had activated. The fear and anger that had activated it had been too much for me to bear.

And my decision was final.

"Find a different apprentice," I said darkly. "I'm done."

I took off the kimono, revealing my ninja attire under it. "I'm going after Spyre, and I'm going to kill him. Goodbye Kazekage."

… … … …

Gaara watched as she shot out of Suna. He didn't know what he said that had pushed her to the limit of going after Spyre herself and abandoning him, but something had. He looked at the kimono she had left behind and saw something there.

A note?

_Gaara,_

_For you to be reading this, then they haven't found Spyre and I haven't heard from the Akatsuki._ _I'm resigning from my position as apprentice. I'm sorry that I've let you down and I hope when I return you'll let me have it back, unless you've replaced me with someone better. Since I wrote this a week in advance, I honestly can't tell you if I enjoyed our date or not, but I more than likely did. I always enjoy our time together, even when you make me do stupid stuff._

_You're probably worried. Don't be. I'll be fine. If I've left with half the anger that's been keeping up at night, then I should be back in a few days, at most a couple of weeks. Spyre won't be hard to find. Until then, I'm going to the Akatsuki Hideout to see what they know. My search will continue from there._

_Here's to hoping I don't return blind._

_Your friend,_

_Rox_

In the pocket, he also found Rox's ring. He tightly closed his hand around it, realizing what that emptiness of the world ending felt like. No wonder she felt so bad about him dying.

Rox may never return to him.

He had lost his apprentice.

But above all, he lost his best friend.

… … … …

As I walked into the Akatsuki Hideout, I heard something blow up. I wasn't going to be comfortable around the guys that killed Gaara, so I would have to avoid them.

"Finally come to join?" Itachi asked with a smirk.

"No," I said. "Not yet."

"Well, you don't qualify yet," he said. "But this tracking your brother thing is a nice start. I'm sure you remember Deidara."

I looked away from the familiar blonde.

"Itachi, don't mock me," I growled. "I need help finding Spyre."

"And Deidara can fly," Itachi said. "Plus take out an entire city with a bomb."

I clenched my fists, trying to hold back my guilt and anger. I sighed as I looked at Deidara.

He smirked wickedly, "You're prettier than I remember, un."

"Itachi," I groaned. "Please come with us. I can tolerate you."

"Can't do that," Itachi said. "You're lucky we're trying to find a replacement for his partner. Sasori's been killed."

I frowned as I looked at Deidara, "I'm sorry about that."

Deidara looked officially confused, "You hate me, but you're going to be sympathetic about losing my partner, un?"

"I've lost every team member I've ever had," I told him. "I was never with them on the missions when they died, but they're all dead. It's…never fun finding out. And even the worst people deserve sympathy over the death of someone they were close to."

"Hey!"

I looked at the shark guy.

"Shark guy!" I said with a smile.

Deidara sniggered.

"My name's Kisame," the shark guy said, not amused by my nickname.

"Not my fault. You didn't tell me. So, does anyone know where Spyre is?"

"Hidan does," Itachi said. "He recommended Spyre to join the Akatsuki. So, for placement purposes, we are going to allow you and Spyre to fight to the death for a place. Spyre is aware that he has to kill you and bring your corpse here."

I looked at Deidara, my fingernails and fangs growing already.

"I'm not close with Hidan, un," Deidara said. "He's out on a mission. You won't be able to talk to him for a few days, un."

"Make a bird and let's get air borne before I torture you," I told him.

Deidara chuckled, "Demanding, un."

"I am not here to play games," I snarled. "I can make the damn bird but I can't make it bigger, so you make the damn bird or I blow us all to hell!"

Deidara sighed, "Fine, un. We have to go outside first."

I followed him outside where he made a little bird then made it much bigger. I jumped on behind him and we took off to the skies.

"Any ideas where he could be, un?" Deidara asked. "I don't want to fly around the world."

I glared at him as I pulled out the list I had written down. "You're going to have to fly the world anyway. They're scattered. Mist, Clouds, Grass, and Snow."

He sighed, "Damn, un. I should just kill you now and tell Itachi it happened by accident."

"After what you did to Gaara," I growled against his ear. "Reconsider that."

I could see the cold sweat dripping down his face. I laid down and watched the clouds go by. I had no allies in any of the villages we were about to visit. And none of the Akatsuki were from any of those villages that I knew of or could remember.

"I can't go with you into the Mist Village, unless we scout at night, un," Deidara said. "Kisame is from there."

"Have you ever attacked there?" I asked.

"No, un," he replied. "Why?"

"They might welcome you as a hero," I told him. "It is known as the _Bloody_ Mist."

He sighed, "And you're the apprentice of Suna? How did that happen, un?"

"I didn't want Spyre to get it. And why do you care? You're just another betrayer."

"That you have an alliance with, un," he said, smirking at me. "So, why are you trying to kill your brother? Even Itachi spared his brother, un."

"Spyre sold Gaara out to you," I said while glaring at him.

"The only reason I got that job was because Sasori was from Suna and I was the right person for the job," he said. "It could have just as easily been Itachi, un."

I sighed, "I know. I'm just not over the fact I could have saved him but didn't."

"Why didn't you, un?"

"The Sharingan that Itachi has wasn't active. It took Gaara's death to do it. I was too weak."

"So why are you going after Spyre, un?" He asked again. "The leader said there's only one spot open and we're free to pick sides, though most are choosing yours. But if Spyre beats you, he's going to kill the Kazekage, un."

"The reason we have to visit all of these villages is because of our bloodline. We're Uchihas or we were. But only the wind masters got the Sharingan in our family. And…you can steal the Sharingan from another. So, while Spyre has gone on these missions, he's been impregnating women, trying to get another wind master. And he has one now. You can get the eyes of a sibling at any time, but you can only get the eyes of an offspring within the first year of their life. So, he's got some time."

"And he has to find you after the transplant. How strong will his Sharingan be, un?"

"Half," I told him. "He would have to kill me then take mine. Deidara, can you do me a favor?"

He looked back at me.

As I gazed at him, I wondered if this was the right thing to do. "I want a bomb in my pocket, in case I do die. So you can blow me up so he can't get my eyes. Make sure of that."

Deidara smirked, "Sure I won't blow it early, un?"

I shrugged, "It'd certainly save some time and trouble, wouldn't it?"

He huffed, "You aren't much fun, un."


	17. Whatever You Want

Gaara hadn't been able to clearly concentrate on his work since Rox left. The security he had when she was around had been this invisible blanket of happiness for so long. Now she was gone and had taken that happiness with her.

He wondered if she would come back. That…Sharingan she had…It was supposedly the most powerful of the Sharingans. More powerful than the one he had faced. One that actually gave her the ability to fly if she could master it. The consequence of losing her eyesight came with that mastery.

Was there a way around that? No wind master had flown before. Then again, he doubted any of them had put forth the effort she had. The girl practically worshipped the wind.

Even as she worked with him, she was practicing discreetly in his office, trying to figure out flying.

As he looked out the window, watching the wind kick up the sand in the desert surrounding the village, he wondered if he would see his friend again. He didn't care if she was his apprentice or not. He just wanted her to come back.

He hadn't bothered sending out a search team for her. She was with the Akatsuki, he knew that much. And he knew there would be hell to pay if the Jounin stopped searching for Spyre.

He wanted to face her wrath. He wanted to hear her rant. He wanted her to stand on the other side of the door and knock firmly, but timidly because she always thought she did something wrong when he summoned her.

He missed her. He was worried.

This is what the end of the world felt like. And she felt it every day.

If she died…he couldn't imagine what he would feel. Especially since he had the power to help her. But…he couldn't help her. She wouldn't want him to.

He sighed at his predicament.

If he left, Suna would be at risk, he would be at risk, and if Rox found out, she would probably be the one to kill him for leaving.

If he stayed, Suna would be safe, he would still be at risk, and he wouldn't have to face Rox's wrath…if she lived.

"Someone's here to see you, Lord Kazekage," a ninja announced.

Gaara turned his attention from the window and faced the man that walked in. He seemed familiar. Long black hair tied in a low ponytail, onyx eyes similar to Rox's, dressed in all black ninja attire.

"Who are you?" Gaara asked.

"My name is Itachi Uchiha," he said calmly. "I'm here to update you about the agreement that involves your apprentice."

Gaara made no movement to show his fear or concern. He didn't need to.

"Spyre will be killed if he comes near the village," Itachi told the young Kazekage. "In order for him to join the Akatsuki, he must first kill your apprentice. That is the only way he will be able to prove he is strong enough to join."

"Where is Rox?" Gaara asked.

"She left with the man that killed you," Itachi said. "She didn't like it, but she agreed. The puppet master, Sasori of the Red Sands is dead." A smirk that matched that Uchiha Gaara fought a few years ago appeared on his lips, "She's probably asked him to kill her."

Confusion and worry struck Gaara. He didn't try to keep it a secret from the stranger in his office, "Why would she do that?"

"If Spyre kills her, he'll take her eyes. Deidara's specialty is bombs. If he blows her up after she dies, he can't take her eyes. She really is dedicated to this village. It's sad that such an amazing person could be so dedicated to nothing."

Gaara's eyes hardened as he stared coldly at him, "She doesn't fight for this village." Some guilt took his heart, "She fights for me."

He could see the mockery in Itachi's eyes, "She fights for love? That will kill her in the end. Don't expect her to return."

Itachi turned to leave, but Gaara stopped him, "Have you seen her fight?"

"She shows promise," Itachi said readying his leave again.

"Have you seen her fight for me?" Gaara clarified. "I don't think we've seen what she's truly capable of."

… … … …

Deidara landed outside the Grass Village. I hated this village. The people here were nasty bastards. The fact the village was near empty made me angry enough.

"To hell with it, just kill them all and solve my problem," I told Deidara.

"Wait," a ninja said as he appeared out of the ground. "What do you want?"

"We're looking for Spyre Sula," I told him. "Any and all information would be valuable and will spare your life.

He stared at me for a moment while I narrowed my eyes at him. The wind currents picked up around us like a tornado.

"All it takes is one bomb, and I can blow your entire village straight to hell," I told him. "It'll save me the time of having to talk to all the women here about the babies they've had in the past year or asking if any of them had their eyes gouged out."

He glared at me, "Fine. Search them."

The wind dropped and I looked at Deidara, "What are you going to do?"

"I'll wait, un."

"Kill anyone that looks like they're trying to sneak out a baby," I told him.

As I searched the homes and inspected babies, I figured I was running out of luck. Grass Village was not the place.

As I reached the last house, I could smell blood before I got to it. I kicked open the door and saw a lifeless woman on the floor and Spyre hovering over a baby with a kunai in his hands.

Instinct took me.

… … … …

Deidara's attention along with the rest of the village turned to the explosion at the far side of the village.

"What the hell is that?!" The ninja that had approached them yelled at Deidara.

Deidara shrugged carelessly, "I guess she found him, un."

He didn't know what could have set off the explosion though. He hadn't told his bomb to go off.

The fire quickly began to wrap around into a tornado. She had definitely found him.

… … … …

The burst of wind that erupted from me didn't affect Spyre. But it did tear down the house. A lantern had landed on gas and caused it to explode. Now there was a tornado of fire around the two of us.

Tears of fury were streaming down my face as I avoided looking at the corpse of the infant next to Spyre. He had killed his son when I came in. Not that the child would have survived a Sharingan transplant. But, he did have one.

Only one Sharingan.

"I'll kill you," I swore.

He laughed, "You can't kill me. You fight for the good in this work. Hope, happiness. What good will come from killing your brother?"

"The satisfaction of your death!" I yelled as I attacked him.

He barely dodged the attack. He could only move so far because of the tornado of fire. I attacked again, my long nails scratching across his face. He stabbed the kunai into my stomach.

I stumbled to the ground and growled up at him, my fangs bared as I glared.

He laughed, "You always thought you were stronger. But you're not. You never have been."

I closed my eyes and took a few deep breaths as I pulled the kunai out of my stomach and tossed it away. When I opened my eyes, he jumped back.

The Sharingan had activated.

I jumped at him, landing punch after punch. All I could see was that corpse…that innocent child. He had killed…

I grabbed Spyre and launched into the air as high as I could then began diving to the ground and threw him when we had entered the tornado. As soon as he collided with the ground, the air inside the tornado sucked in, causing an implosion.

I landed on the ground to see if he had survived. There wasn't much left of him…

Deidara walked up to me. "Wish I could have seen it, un."

I took the bomb out of my pocket and placed it on the charred corpse. "Have fun," I told him.

I walked inside and stared at the little infant. My…nephew.

I sobbed as I stood there.

"What…do you want to do?" Deidara asked.

I sniffled, "Cremation…but…I want to take him with me. My mother is strange like that. But, he deserves a name. I…I can't name him."

"His name was Kaisho, un," he informed me.

They allowed us to cremate the infant and take him with us, seeing as how I was the only surviving family member.

So, we left. I wasn't sure if I could go home yet. I wasn't ready for it.

"Where do you want to go, un?" Deidara asked, giving me an option.

"Can I go with you?" I asked. "I mean, I need to stop by the Sand Village, but I don't want to stay. I need to…calm down."

Deidara put his hand on my face and something wet traveled up my face. I pushed his arm away as he laughed and showed me a freakish mouth on his hand.

"I bet you were fun to give birth to," I muttered.

He shuddered, "I don't want to think about it, un."

I laughed, "You must be awesome at parties."

He shrugged, "Since we have so many."

"You never know," I shrugged.

Deidara landed outside Suna and I went to the Kazekage Tower first. Even though it was still late, Gaara was probably still there. I walked in and silently closed the door.

He just stared at me, his pen falling out of his hand.

"Y-You're back," he said. "It's only been three days."

I walked up to him and placed Spyre's headband on his desk. "I'm about to leave with Deidara," I told him quietly. "I…I need some time. I'll come back, I swear. I'm not joining the Akatsuki, I just don't have anywhere else to go where I won't be bothered. And…when I return, I have a favor to ask."

He stood up, taking the urn from me and placing it on the desk. Before I knew what was going on, he was hugging me. And I was crying. I sobbed into his shoulder as I clung onto his shoulders.

"Whatever you want, you can have," Gaara whispered. "As long as you return to me. Just please…come back."


	18. Welcome Home

As long as I stayed within the hideout and didn't cause a problem, I was allowed to stay with the Akatsuki. That was fine with me. Most of the time, Deidara and I planted miniature bombs through the hideout and triggered them to blow when people walked by.

At night, I went out and looked at the stars, most of the time accompanied by my bombing friend, sometimes my distant cousin, though he just bothered me about joining the Akatsuki.

It had been a month since I had seen Gaara. I was feeling better, but still wasn't ready to go home. As I stared at the stars, I smiled, remembering my red haired friend. My heart ached, though.

"Are you joining us, un?" My favorite bomber asked.

I looked at him as he stood next to me. My attention went back to the sky, "No. I'm almost ready to go home. I miss Gaara."

It was strange how the man I hated so much had become so close.

"How's the Orochimaru search going?" I asked.

He shrugged, "Not sure, un. We haven't heard anything."

I nodded. "He won't come here?" I asked.

"He shouldn't," he said. "I don't think he's interested in us, un. Sasori said he found a way to live forever, un. Sasori tried to as well, but he was killed anyway."

"Living forever, huh," I stated. "Sounds depressing. Having to watch everyone you love die. I'd rather die with them."

He squatted down next to me and picked at the grass, "Is that how you felt when your friend died, un?"

Deidara had helped me overcome that guilt and I would be forever in his debt for that.

"That day…my life ended." I smiled down at him, "I would have done anything to kill you. But, I wanted so badly to die with him. I felt worse for continuing to live while he was dead. But…my loyalty was to the village." I looked at the stars, "What if you returned? Who could protect our village then?" I felt the tears in my eyes. "But, it's like I told Gaara. I was loyal to him alone. A village could be rebuilt. A friend can't be replaced."

The nasty hand tongue went across my face, Deidara's special way to make me stop crying.

I shuddered and pushed him away, "Stop, you freak."

He smirked at me, but it faded rather quickly to a look of disappointment, "You'll have to leave when my partner comes. You know that, un."

I nodded as I looked at the stars, "Yeah. But, you can always send a bomb my way. I'm sure you'll find one in your room every once in a while that will scare you."

He glared at me, "You wouldn't, un."

"Wouldn't I?" I teased.

He smiled at me and I about jumped out of my skin when a bomb went off right behind me.

I glared at him, "Jerk."

He sniggered.

"Deidara," Kisame called as he walked out. "The Leader wants to see you."

Deidara and I looked at the shark man for a moment then each other. He smiled again starting to laugh at me and getting a glare from me again. Then I felt a disgusting mouth on my face again.

"Deidara, I'm murdering you!" I yelled as he ran in.

Kisame sighed as he shook his head and walked up to me. "It won't be the same when you leave," he said.

"Is that what this is about?" I asked him. "Deidara's partner?"

Kisame nodded with a sigh, "How he made it, I'll never know. His name is Tobi. You need to be gone by the end of the week."

"Three days," I sighed. "Wonderful. I'll wait until Deidara comes back out and I'm heading out."

A few minutes later, Deidara came out with a guy wearing an orange mask that had a swirl on it and one hole for him to look through. Deidara looked ready to kill him already.

"My partner is an idiot, un," Deidara grumbled.

"Deidara talks funny!" The guy in the orange mask yelled as he ran around.

I raised an eyebrow as I watched him.

"Well, that's my cue to get out," I said with a sigh. "Goodbye Deidara."

His eyes widened, "You're leaving now?"

"Better now than later," I said. "Besides, you can't handle me and…that guy."

Deidara glared at Tobi who had just run into a tree. Deidara grabbed me by my arms, his blue eyes glistening as he begged, "Please stay. I will do anything, un."

I chuckled as I held his face, "I'm sorry, Deidara. My home isn't here."

I kissed his cheek, "Thank you for being there for me. You've been amazing."

I made a clay bird and made it larger then started my flight back to Suna.

It was time to face my demons alone. But, I had to figure out what they were.

I felt bad for abandoning Gaara for so long. But, he was safe. Spyre was no longer a threat and my mother wasn't a threat.

The urn in my hands was my biggest problem. The ashes of an infant.

When I landed outside Suna, the bird became a ball of clay. I smiled as I put it in my pocket and walked inside the silent village. Dawn was rising. No one was up yet.

But I was going to wake someone up.

As I approached the house, I sighed. She was not going to be happy with me.

I knocked on the door and waited.

After a moment, the door quickly opened and I came face to face with my mother, a look of relief on her face, "Spyre! You-" She glared at me, "Oh. It's just you."

Her eyes traveled to the urn in my hands, "You obliterated him?! How could you do that to your brother?!"

"This isn't Spyre," I told her. "There wasn't enough of him to bring back. This is your grandson, Kaisho."

She snatched the urn from me and slammed the door. I sighed and walked to the Kazekage tower. It was early morning still, but Gaara would be there.

The door to his office was closed. I sighed as I knocked.

"Enter," a tired voice answered.

I opened the door and saw Gaara staring out the window.

My heart started racing.

It had been a month…and I had forgotten him. The reason why I was coming back. How…incredible he was.

His blood red hair was flat but messy, his stone emotionless face showed his maturity and how engrossed in his thoughts he was as his pale blue-green eyes stared over Suna. His arms were crossed tightly across his chest showing how stressed he was. He was dressed in his ninja outfit with his gourd. He rarely wore that unless he was travelling.

Despite his clear stress, he still had that look. That determination to do what was right and what was best. He truly was the best Kazekage the Land of Wind could ever have.

"I don't have time for you to stand there," Gaara said. "I'm leaving as soon as Temari and Kankuro arrive."

He didn't recognize my knock. Had I really been gone that long or was he just that tired?

"Where are you going?" I asked as I walked up next to him.

His eyes widened as his attention turned to me, "You came back."

I just smiled at him. "Where ya going?"

I noticed his cheeks redden slightly as he turned his attention out the window, "I was going to look for you. To stop you from joining the Akatsuki."

"You're taller," I said quietly.

It was true. He must have grown at least half an inch.

"What happened?" He asked. "You seem…happier."

I sighed as I linked my arm with his, "I want a night out. I've missed you and I think I've deserved it for killing the guy that was going to kill me so he could kill you."

"Is that the favor you wanted?" He asked.

"No, I want to go on a mission," I told him.

He stared down at me. I stopped breathing for a second as I took in his face.

I really had forgotten him. His handsome face seemed…flawless now.

"What kind of mission?" He asked curiously.

"Spyre has a lot of kids," I told him. "Two of them had the Sharingan. I want to see if there are others. They can visit Suna and become Wind Masters. Or at least get a start."

Gaara nodded, "Very well. When they're old enough, you can start that."

"Go home, Gaara," I told him. "Get some sleep. You're barely standing. I'll take care of it today."

"Kankuro, Temari, and Baki are supposed to take care of everything," he told me. "The entire day is ours."

"No, you're going home and sleeping," I told him. "I'll sit with you, but you're sleeping."

He sighed as sand wrapped around us. When the sand disappeared, we were in Gaara's room. I smiled at the familiar, but very bland room. His bed had blue sheets, and that was the only decoration in the room besides a desk.

Gaara sighed as he put the gourd on the ground and sat on his bed. "I…You're back," he said quietly. He couldn't believe it.

I smiled as I sat next to him, "I'm back. I won't leave again. Not for a while."

I scooted closer to him and forced him to put his head on my shoulder. As I ran my fingers through his hair, he began to get heavier. I chuckled as I kept him on a current of wind and moved back then laid him down, letting his head rest in my lap.

I had never really paid attention how soft his hair was. Or how when he was around me, his Sand Armor disappeared. I could feel his skin. He had the softest skin.

I found my fingers hovering on his lips and a blush rushed to my cheeks as I quickly moved them back to his hair. As I watched him sleep, I couldn't help but let the bitter feeling of letting him down take over. I had a crush on Gaara. If he found out, I couldn't stay as his apprentice, which would hurt Suna.

This definitely wasn't good…


	19. For the Best

Gaara didn't wake until late afternoon. I didn't mind. I could have watched him sleep until the world faded into darkness.

He looked confused that I was there. His hand went up to my face and gently stroked my cheek, "I thought it was a dream."

I continued to run my fingers through his red hair, "No. I'm here."

He slowly sat up, blinking the sleep from his eyes.

"I haven't slept in so long," he told me.

"How long is that?" I asked, carefully placing my hand on his.

To my surprise, he turned his hand over and enlaced our fingers, holding my hand tightly as to not let me leave. "Since you left. I…didn't feel…right." He looked like he was struggling to find the right words to describe how he felt. "It was like the world had ended," he finally said. "I know how you felt now. I'm sorry you went through that. I now understand what loyalty is."

I opened my mouth then closed it when the door opened. We both looked at Kankuro whose jaw dropped when he saw me.

"You're back," he said quietly. "Oh my- TEMARI! GET YOUR ASS UP HERE! ROX IS BACK!"

I was pulled from Gaara and wrapped in Kankuro's large arms as he hugged me tight in his arms. I returned the embrace as tight as I could. Temari was in the room and she pulled me out of Kankuro's grip and hugged me tighter than Kankuro had.

"Why didn't you tell me you were back?!" She yelled as she glared at me.

"Gaara and I had business to discuss," I told her. "And…I'm not exactly ready for the apprenticeship position again. I don't want to talk about it. Spyre's dead…"

I looked away from them and sighed. It was going to be hard for me to get over that paranoia. Returning to Gaara had sparked it slightly, but it wasn't as bad as it was.

Kankuro grinned widely, "So, you two are going on a date tonight. Here Temari. Take her."

I glanced back at Gaara and gave him a small smile that he returned as I left.

Temari shoved me into my room and shut the door, "Tell. Me. Everything."

I stared at her, "What?"

"What were you and Gaara doing?" She asked. "I could totally tell something had been happening because Gaara was NOT happy we barged in."

"We were talking," I told her. "He…he hasn't been sleeping, has he?"

"Not since you left," she said with a smirk.

I looked away from her, "I can't be his apprentice, Temari. It won't work. If…" I sighed, "Temari…I've got a crush on Gaara."

"Sweetheart, you're head over heels in love with him," she said. "You passed crush a LONG time ago."

I sighed, "I didn't want to hear that. I can't be his apprentice. He'll…he's going to get rid of me. Suna will need me."

She put her hands on her hips, "Suddenly you're loyal to the village? Since when?"

"Since my brother is dead." I looked at the ground. "I…don't know what to do."

"Gaara will decide," Temari said. "He's good at this kind of stuff. Besides, he's so in love with you-"

"He's what?" I asked.

"You didn't get that from him not sleeping for a month?" She asked. "Maybe love is blind."

I buried my face in my hands, "Wonderful. What are we doing tonight?"

"Actually, Gaara planned it. He planned the entire night just for the two of you when you returned."

I looked at her with tears in my eyes, "Temari…I'm scared."

She hugged me, "It will work out for the best. It always does."


	20. Doubts

Turned out, Temari had been well prepared for the day I returned. She had a violet kimono with a sing large white flower on the right shoulder and a white sash. She tied my hair back into an elegant ponytail and placed a flower in it. After she finished my makeup, she forced me to wait.

I felt sick.

If what she said was true, this night was going to be the best and worst thing that would ever happen to me.

I was trembling as I sat there tears forming in my eyes, but not falling. I couldn't smudge my makeup. Temari would kill me.

The door opened as Kankuro made his loud entrance. "How's my favorite- Rox? Are you alright?"

I looked up at him. Why couldn't I love him instead? He was indeed handsome and kind, but…he wasn't Gaara.

"Is it true?" I asked quietly. "What Temari said."

He sat next to me as he took my hand in a comforting manner, readying me for the blunt truth, "That depends on what she said."

"Is Gaara…" I wasn't able to finish the sentence as I studied his eyes, trying not to let more tears form in my fear filled eyes.

For a moment he tried to figure out what I was trying to ask. His eyes widened slightly then confusion took his features, "Why are you worried about that? You should be happy."

"I'm his apprentice," I said, my voice shaking. "Kankuro, it can't happen."

He sighed, "I want you to do something."

I looked at him, "What?"

"Gaara told me something when you were gone. He said that when you returned, he would never let you go again. And he's going to keep to that, Rox. Tonight is not about you being the apprentice or him being the Kazekage. Tonight is about you being Roxanne and him being Gaara. Enjoy it. Make the most of it. This might be the last date you have with him before you're forever forced to act as his apprentice and can't get his love he desperately wants to give you. So, screw the rules for tonight. Enjoy it."

I rested my head on his shoulder, "Thank you Kankuro."

He gave her a side hug, squeezing her against him tightly, "Anytime Rox. I'll get Gaara and you have a good time."

I nodded as he got up and walked out of the room.

Gaara had planned our date. That was strange enough. I couldn't imagine what he had in mind. We never did anything other than watch the stars. I wondered if that's what we would do.

After a moment, there was a knock at my door. I stood up and opened the door to find Gaara there.

For a moment, my breath stopped. I wanted to back out.

He wasn't wearing his Kazekage attire or ninja attire. Though the robes were similar to his Kazekage robes, they were black rather than white and he wasn't wearing that scarf thing that annoyed him so much. And they didn't look as thick. He looked nice.

He gave me a slight smile and offered me a flower. I stared at it, amazed that he had it. Was it a crescent moon again? It was exactly like that the flowers we had seen in the garden on the last date we had.

I smiled as I took it from him, "Thank you."

He offered me his arm and our date began.


	21. Enjoy It

Gaara and I walked in silence, merely enjoying each other's company.

"Are you comfortable with me asking a few questions?" Gaara asked me as we walked.

"I'll let you know when I'm not," I replied, smiling at him.

"When you came back the first time, you had an urn," Gaara said carefully. "Was it Spyre?"

"No," I replied quietly. "There…wasn't enough left of him to bring back. That…That was my nephew, Kaisho. Spyre killed his mother…and him. Being the next of kin, the Grass Village allowed me to bring him with me. I gave him to my mother. It's what she would have wanted."

"How old was he?"

"Few months maybe," I replied, resting my head on Gaara's shoulder as we continued to walk. "The Akatsuki members had to help walk me through talking about it without starting a hurricane. It's…been hard to cope with. He only had one Sharingan when I found him, so I couldn't save one child."

Gaara's arm was pulled from mine and he draped it around my shoulders, pulling me closer to him. My heart was racing at how wrong this was.

Or…at how right it felt.

I just wanted it to stop, but I kept Kankuro's advice in mind. I was going to screw the rules and enjoy what happened.

Gaara's arm didn't leave my shoulders as we walked.

After a while, we ended up at the Oasis Grill where we sat at the same spot we had the last time. The old man seemed happy to see me. He acted like he was Gaara's grandfather or something, constantly saying that he was glad the Kazekage had finally found a 'nice girl to date'.

Though, that did over complicate our situation a bit.

"It is nice," Gaara agreed. "I've been incredibly lucky to have her for as long as I have. It's a shame I've just realized how much she really means."

I looked at him, blushing slightly. I wouldn't allow myself to smile. That would be pushing it. But…tonight was about enjoying ourselves.

I allowed a small smile, but nothing more.

After that, we continued walking until we got to the playground in the middle of Suna. I looked at him, wondering why we were here. A playful grin came on his face as a ball of sand suddenly hit me.

I gasped and threw a ball of wind at him which he couldn't see, so I was at the advantage. We continued our war of throwing sand and wind at each other until I finally got close enough to pounce on him and take him down.

He was so surprised I had actually jumped on him, he fell back onto a soft pile of his sand that stopped us from landing too hard. I laughed at his surprised face as he held me there, his hands on my waist from where he had caught me. It had been years since I had actually jumped on him like that.

I rolled off him and stared up at the sky, not really expecting us to do much more other than stare at the stars.

"What are you doing?" Gaara asked.

I looked at him, "There's more?"

"Yes," he said as he stood up and helped me up.

His hand didn't leave mine as he led me to our next destination. Well, this was exciting. We weren't staring at the stars. He seemed excited about wherever we were going.

We were back at the Kazekage tower.

I guessed the date was over, but he pulled me inside. The entire tower was blacked out. This was a first. I clung to Gaara so I wouldn't fall, but I tripped on a stair anyway.

"Are you ok?" He asked.

"Fine," I said as he tightened his grip on my hand and slowed down while practically dragging me up the stairs. When we got to his office, he turned the light on and went to his desk, pulling a small box out of a drawer and walking up to me.

"Happy Birthday, Rox," he said, a faint blush on his cheeks.

I wanted to beat myself up. I forgot my own birthday. I took it from him and opened it.

Tears welled up in my eyes as I hugged him, "Gaara, it's beautiful."

For me, the simpler the better. It was a chain necklace with a swirly pendant representing the wind.

He held me tight for a while. I didn't want to leave that spot, but I knew I had to. I started pulling away so I could kiss him on the cheek as I did every year, but instead I was kissing his lips.

My stomach hit the floor as my heart began to race. Gaara slowly pulled away, his eyes just as wide as mine and his face as red as his hair. I was pretty sure my face was as red as his hair too.

We just stared at each other, unsure of how to handle the situation. It seemed the longer we stared, the closer we got, until our lips met again for a more official kiss. It was awkward for a moment, but Gaara grew more confident than I did and pulled me closer by placing his hand on my back and taking the gift he gave me then placing it on his desk.

Enjoy it.

So…I did.

I could regret it in the morning, but I would be damned if I regretted it that night.

Gaara pulled away then placed a kiss on my forehead, his breath shaking slightly as he rested his forehead on mine. For a moment, I couldn't look at him. I didn't want to admit that my dreams had come true but so had my nightmares. I finally looked up at him with a small smile.

Gently touching his face, I noticed my hand was trembling. He did as well as he gently covered it with his own, a small smile of his own taking his lips. "I have another surprise for you."

"I don't know if I can handle many more," I told him.

"They better be in the middle of something important or-" the door literally got kicked open and there was Naruto standing there with Temari and Kankuro trying to stop him. He looked pretty pissed, "Just what the hell are you two doing in here that's taking so long?!"

"I'd tell you, but I don't want to damage your innocence," I told Naruto with a smirk.

He stared at me for a moment, his mouth slightly agape. Then he grinned, "I told you you liked Gaara."

Temari patted the orange ninja on the shoulder, "She passed 'like' a long time ago."

"Naruto, why are you here?" I asked.

"No reason," Naruto lied.

"Then why haven't you hugged me?" I asked with a grin.

He laughed as he ran up and hugged me tight. "It's good to see you," I told him.

"You too," he said. "Gaara told me you were gone for a month. What's up with that? I thought you were attached to him."

All of us wandered back down the pitch black stairs. Gaara kept a tight hold on me so I wouldn't fall down them. There was a reason for floating…

"Spyre isn't a threat anymore," I said. "I destroyed him."

Suddenly the lights turned on and everyone was revealed. It was a mixture of some of my good friends from Konoha and the ninja here at Suna. A surprise party. Really it was a welcome home thing since I had forgotten my own birthday.

Naruto shoved a present into my hands. "Open it!" He demanded.

"Yes sir," I laughed.

I opened it and found ramen. It made me sick looking at it. "Thanks…Naruto," I said.

He laughed, "Look at what's inside!"

That was clever. I opened the ramen box and smiled softly at the glass bottle with a miniature tree inside. "Thanks Naruto."

It was a heart tree. It was rumored to live off emotions. But I didn't believe it, but it was a thoughtful gift. It would never get any bigger, but it reacted with your heart. When I was angry, it would start to die. When I was happy, it would bloom beautiful flowers.


	22. For Love

Everyone was having a great time. Even Gaara. There was dancing, food, and just over all everyone having a good time.

But I was done with socializing. I walked outside and decided to go to the roof of the tower to watch the stars for a while. I heard a movement of sand and allowed a smile to form.

The cold touch of metal on my chest followed by the warmth of Gaara's hands on the back of my neck sent a silent shiver through me.

"I understand how you feel," Gaara said, his lips right by my ear. "But I want you as my apprentice. Suna will need you."

I couldn't hear anything, but I could feel the sand moving as he left me alone. Cutting it before it got too far was best. But even believing it would go anywhere…that was too much.

And…this gift. What was it? A reminder of something that would never exist?

Yes. That's all it would be.

"Sounds like a good party, un," someone said behind me. "Is there a reason you aren't there?"

I turned and looked at a blurry figure. In what moonlight there was, I could barely see a black cloak with red splotches. The blonde hair and speech habit gave him away though.

"Hi Deidara," I greeted through a clogged throat. "How are you?"

"Better than you, un," he said. "What happened?"

I pulled the necklace off with an easy jerk and looked at it, "Something that would never work," I told him. "What are you doing here? What about your partner?"

"I'm ready to kill him," Deidara said bluntly. "We're after a three tailed beast now, un. Any leads you know of?"

"No," I said quietly. "I'm sorry. I'll send word your way when I hear of it."

Deidara frowned as he looked at me, "Even with your brother dead, you haven't found happiness, un."

"I came back…and fell in love," I said, closing my hand tightly around the necklace.

Deidara had a smile on his face, "Who's the lucky guy, un?"

"The Kazekage," I replied.

His smile was gone. "You lost your apprenticeship, un."

"I lost him," I said quietly. "He had planned this…date for us. And…he told me he understands how I feel but he'd rather have me as an apprentice."

Something wet went up my cheek.

I glared at Deidara as he smiled at me. "That's better, un."

I wiped his hand spit away with a shudder, "Disgusting. You and your weird hand things."

"I've got one in my chest too, un," he said proudly.

I shuddered, "I didn't need to know that, Deidara."

Deidara smirked, "Want to see it, un?"

"No," I said. "Why are you here anyway?"

He grinned, "I can tell you happy birthday if I want, un."

"You didn't even know it was my birthday," I told him. "Now, why are you here?"

"Just seeing if you wanted to reconsider the Akatsuki, un" he said, practically begging me to join.

I just laughed, "I can't Deidara. I belong here in Suna."

"Where the man you love doesn't notice you, un?" he asked.

I glanced at him, "Apparently loves me but wants to protect the village more," I explained with a choked voice. I wiped the tears away and sighed, "Because that wasn't an issue before," I stated sarcastically.

Deidara crossed his arms as he thought it over. "Maybe you weren't ready to come back, un."

"No," I told him. "I shouldn't have been played a fool and been taken on a date. It should have been left where it was. A wound left untreated rather than something that's been looked at and given the wrong medicine."

"He'll come around," Deidara told me. "He'd be a fool not to, un."

I smiled at Deidara, "Are you sure you're a criminal?"

He patted my head, "Women get the softer side of me."

He reached into his pocket and placed a small black bag in my hand. He gave me a mischievous grin and made a bird out of clay. "I'll see you later. Happy birthday, un."

I smiled, "Thanks Deidara."

Exploding clay. Just what I needed. More fiery tornadoes of destruction.

I went back inside and enjoyed the rest of the party then headed to my room when everyone left and after the clean up. As far as presents went, Deidara, Naruto, and Gaara's had been the most thoughtful. The rest had been weapons or clothes.

I laid in bed, staring at the heart tree in my hands as I held it between two fingers. My thoughts jumped between the Akatsuki and being Gaara's apprentice. When Naruto had given it to me, it had been in full bloom. When I walked in my room, it was dying. When I thought of the Akatsuki, buds would appear and the leaves would turn green again, but when I thought of the apprenticeship, the leaves would begin to die and fall off.

I wondered if it was real or if it was just because what had happened.

A knock caught my attention, "Come in," I said, still looking at the tree.

I looked at Temari who had a frustrated look on her face, "Are you alright?"

I sat up, "Yeah, why wouldn't I be?"

"Gaara told Kankuro what happened on the roof and Kankuro relayed it to me," she said sympathetically. "If I had known…I wouldn't have let you go on that date."

"Temari, it's fine," I told her. "We live and learn. And Gaara's right. Suna needs me. We can't have some relationship getting in the way of what needs to be done."

Temari frowned as she looked at me. "What happened in the office?" She asked quietly as she sat next to me.

Tears began to fill my eyes as I stared at the dying tree in the bottle. "It was an accident at first. I always kiss him when he gives me a gift on my birthday. Only…"

She smiled understandingly, "What happened when you went to the roof?"

"I just wanted some air," I told her. "You know I don't like being the center of attention. Gaara put the necklace on me and told me he understands how I feel, but he wanted me to be his apprentice. And he left."

I clenched my fists, "I don't understand. Why would you just leave?"

Temari gave me a sad look, "Someone else came to the party tonight. Someone you don't know. She came with one of the other Sand Ninja. Gaara's going to go on a date with her in a few days."

I should have joined the Akatsuki. I should have left with Deidara when I had the chance. That would have been better than listening to this.

I nodded, "Ok."

Temari stood up and slapped me as hard as she could, "You're supposed to fight for him!" She yelled.

I stood up and glared at her, "Why should I? He doesn't want to fight for me! He wants what's best for the village! If he thinks I'm what's best for the village, then I'm right where I need to be!"

"Fight for him," she said calmly. "Show him you care. Give that girl a reason to be afraid that at any moment Gaara will go back to you. It needs to be a slow change, though. Don't make it over night."

I sighed, "Fine. Whatever. I'll think about it."

The next morning, I arrived early at Gaara's office wearing the necklace he gave me. I didn't want to wear it, but I was wearing it anyway. Small changes. That was small enough.

There was a girl in the office with Gaara. She had peach hair that was short and cropped to her chin. Her ruby eyes and proper laugh as she stood away from Gaara made me hate her. She was trying to make a good impression.

Gaara looked at me with a blank face, his eyes barely moving to see the necklace, "Rox, this is Amaya. I will be going on a date with her in a few days."

Amaya stuck out her hand and I shook it with a smile, "Hi."

"It must be nice being Gaara's apprentice. You must do so much for him. I was an applicant, but I didn't make it past the first test. Were the others hard?"

"Not if you're qualified," I told her.

"Roxanne," Gaara said firmly.

I looked at him as I grabbed a stack of papers, "What? It's true."

Amaya giggled, "Roxanne. That's…different."

When I glanced back at her, I saw flecks of black in one of her eyes. A Sharingan.

I smiled as I looked at Gaara, "Why don't you two head out and get to know each other? I'll handle everything today."

Gaara raised an invisible eyebrow in suspicion, but his interest in this Amaya didn't stop him from obliging to my offer. I sighed as I reached into my pocket and pulled out a ball of clay. When I opened my hand, the ball had turned into an army of little clay spiders.

Should anything happen to Gaara, they would immediately explode and kill the girl.

I wrote a quick letter and sent the clay bird out the window to the Akatsuki group. Something was wrong. If the Uchiha clan was dead and my brother was dead, who was this girl with the Sharingan?

Perhaps Itachi missed someone?

My stomach twisted in all sorts of sick ways as my thoughts began to travel away from me. Deidara told me Orochimaru had found a way to live forever. Sasori was trying to. A soul replacement jutsu. Had he passed the knowledge on?

Had…had Spyre survived?

I did things as I would do them if I were Kazekage. Gaara could deal with it when he got back. If he came back.

It was late when I finished the paperwork. That was when Gaara returned. I didn't have to look at him to tell he was angry.

"I don't appreciate having spies follow me all day," Gaara said sharply.

"Who followed you?" I asked.

"Temari," he said angrily. "Why did you have her follow me? You wanted me to get to know her."

"I haven't seen Temari today," I told him as I continued to sign papers.

That seemed to ease his anger. "I'm…glad you approve," he stated.

"I don't approve," I told him bluntly. "But I've got more important things to care about right now than people you date. It's none of my business now. I might have to leave again. It depends on what Itachi says."

There was a slight spark of something in his pale eyes, "You're talking with the Akatsuki again? You just got back from their hideout and now you're talking to them again?"

"Had to," I told him. "I can't talk about it."

"Can't or won't?" He asked as I walked to the door.

"Both," I said as I placed my hand on the door.

"Why don't you approve of her?" Gaara asked. "What's wrong with her?"

I spun on my heel and stormed to his desk slamming my hands on his desk, "You're going to take me on a date then I'm going to hear from Temari that you met some girl at a party and you've just moved on from me?"

Gaara's face was expressionless as he looked at me, "I need you as an apprentice."

"Then as your 'apprentice' don't question what I do," I told him icily.

"When are you leaving?" He asked.

"As soon as Itachi lets me know what's going on," I spat as I headed towards the door.

"And what is that?" Gaara asked.

"I don't want to ruin your relationship with Amaya," I stated dryly.

I walked out. My heart had been broken so badly, I wasn't sure it would ever heal. But the way it was healing, with the little I knew of Orochimaru and the slight chance that Spyre could still be alive, I didn't care how my heart healed.

When I walked into my room, I found Itachi waiting there.

"You're certain she had a Sharingan?" He asked.

I nodded, "It was like she wanted me to see it. That's why I wrote you. I think Orochimaru taught Spyre that weird…human soul replacement thing."

"I thought you killed him," Itachi said.

"I thought I did too," I said as I sat on my bed. "I guess not."

"He'll be able to jump from body to body now," Itachi said. "He's known that woman for a while. If he's starting a relationship with Gaara, it's his way to get to you. You need to leave."

I looked at Itachi, "Why?"

"His overall goal is not to kill Gaara," Itachi said. "It's to join the Akatsuki. We don't know his motives yet, but you've earned your place. It's time to join. He still has to kill you."

I sighed as I closed my eyes. To save Gaara, I had to join the Akatsuki.

I stood up and pulled the necklace off my neck tossing it onto my bed. I left the heart tree.

As Itachi and I left on the back of a giant clay bird, I watched Suna grow smaller. Sometimes love didn't make sense. Then again, most of the time, it didn't need to. I would return to Suna…but I would not be greeted with open arms. And when I did return, if I did return, I hoped Gaara would be safe. The longer I was gone, the longer I could delay Gaara's death. And that was good enough for me.

For Suna.

For Gaara.

For love.

~The End~


End file.
